What is a first pelvic health appointment like?

Many people are a little nervous at their first appointment and it has often taken quite awhile to pluck up courage to attend. I aim to make you feel as relaxed as possible, and most people say that they understand a lot more about their condition and we have talked about a plan of care by the time they leave.

My assessment and treatment depend on your condition and will always be directed at your needs.

You can bring a friend or member of your family with you to your appointment. A chaperone can be provided by the clinic if you would like one.

I will start by asking a lot of questions. All the information that I glean from you is confidential. Whilst some of the questions are sensitive in nature, I appreciate that they might be difficult to discuss but this helps me to understand how your problem is impacting on your life.

Your physical assessment often begins with assessing your lower back, pelvis and abdomen, hips, and breathing. I might even need to pay attention to old injuries that have occurred in the past as these can impact on how well your pelvic floor muscles can function.

Most pelvic health issues benefit from an internal assessment to identify tone, strength, and control of the pelvic floor muscles as well as any scarring that might be present. I will also check for prolapses if relevant. This assessment can be vaginal or via the anus and is performed with gloves and gel, without instruments such as a speculum. Your assessment will only ever be carried out with your consent. Please remember that you can withdraw your consent at any time.

It is important that the left and right sides of your pelvic floor, both superficial and deep layers are assessed to work out the strength, endurance, and speed of the muscle contraction.

Following this we can determine your baseline of pelvic floor muscle control so that we can plan your specific exercises.

Please remember that this is just the start of your journey. Muscles take 3-6 months to get stronger! You will be offered regular appointment to progress your exercises and get you back to doing all your favourite things again!