Home PELVIC FLOOR PROLAPSE AND
INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN
DEFINITION
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Definition:
The pelvic floor is a large sling of muscles and ligaments which stretch across the floor of the pelvis and normally support the organs in the pelvis [uterus [womb], bladder and bowels] The important muscle that is referred to as the PC muscle [which is the abbreviation of the word pubococcygeal] is attached in front to the pubic bone and at the back to the coccyx [the bone at the bottom of the spine]. Normally this provides a valve like effect [squeezes when you cough or sneeze] to avoid leaking urine, but once these structures are weakened, in particular by prolonged labour, then the front or back wall of the vagina prolapses [comes down] and bulges out through the entrance to the vagina and the woman may experience stress incontinence [passing urine when she coughs, sneezes, lifts something or exercises], or urge incontinence where there is urgency to pass urine with very little warning so that it is difficult to reach a toilet in time [1].
