“Caring about your pelvic floor has big impacts later on.”

–Tanya Goodrich

What if we got it all wrong with kegels? A lot of us don’t know a whole lot about what our pelvic floor even is, but we’ve been told to do kegels. Tanya Goodrich, PT and women’s pelvic health specialist, clears up what the pelvic floor is, why it’s so important, and why kegels might not be what you need. (Oh, and they call them blueberries now.)

The pelvic floor is the group of muscles that sling between your pubic bone and your tailbone, like a hammock. And what a lot of people don’t realize is that your pelvic floor is part of your core.

A lot of the things that we’ve been told we just have to accept — like leaking a little after having kids — is common, but not normal. You don’t have to just take it.

We talk about: 

• How to retrain your bladder if you have to pee all the time — and how frequently you should be going
• Considering hormone therapy and getting a healthcare team that is up to date on current menopause studies 
• How stress affects the pelvic floor and why somebody might need to loosen their pelvic floor
• Why so much change happens in the pelvic floor during perimenopause/menopause
• The connection between constipation and the pelvic floor and 4 steps to get you pooping: hot beverage in the morning (bonus for coffee), big circle massage starting at your right hip bone, a heat pack, and walking; and relaxing instead of pushing
• How to warm up for good sex

ABOUT TANYA

Tanya Goodrich, PT, DPT, a distinguished figure in women’s pelvic health, brings over 15 years of experience to her practice and advocacy efforts. With a background in dance from the California Institute of the Arts and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of California, San Francisco, she possesses a unique blend of expertise.

As the founder of Healthy Pelvis Physical Therapy, Tanya specializes in addressing a wide range of pelvic health issues, including those related to pregnancy, postpartum care, menopause, pelvic pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and sexual health. She extends her influence beyond clinical practice, serving as a recognized speaker on these topics and providing guidance to organizations like Evernow, focused on menopause care, and Blossom Birth and Family, a nonprofit supporting women and families in the Bay Area.

Tanya is also a member of the medical board for Hot Pause Health, a fast-growing community dedicated to empowering women through their peri/menopause journeys. In this role, she contributes her expertise to advancing education and support for women navigating this transformative stage of life.

Through her comprehensive approach and dedication to education and innovation, Tanya Goodrich continues to make significant contributions to improving women’s pelvic health and well-being. Tanya was recently featured in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper as an “Architect of Change” for women’s health.

LINKS

• https://healthypelvis.com/ourteam

DOABLE CHANGES

At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Change comes from action. 

Sometimes action gets a bad rap. You can be kind to yourself. You can practice being AND doing, but for change to happen you have to take steps. The way we take care of ourselves is making the steps doable and focusing on one thing at a time. We take time to integrate the change and then move on to the next one. Pick a Doable Change that resonates with you the most to start from.

Here are three Doable changes that we chose from this conversation. 

• PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR PEE. Do you fall into the camp of holding your pee too long or going too frequently? You should be going every 2–4 hours. If you don’t go enough, make your doable change to make time to go when you feel the urge … or at least every four hours. If you go too frequently, start trying to retrain your bladder by counting how long you pee. You’re aiming for 12 seconds or more.
• PREP FOR GOOD SEX. Do you need something to warm you up for sex? Do you have a lube you love? Get some. Then play to see what really works for you or try something new.
• TRY THE POOP PLAN. Start your day with a warm beverage—coffee, tea, hot water. Then do massage in the belly area, starting at your right hip bone. Then use a heating pad. Then walk. The idea is to get things moving!