Don’t Skip Your Regular Checkups—Your Pelvic Floor Included

I’m writing this from the waiting room at the car dealership, where I’ve just learned an expensive lesson about putting off routine maintenance.

Apparently, I missed my 90,000-mile checkup. And my 100,000-mile checkup. And the 120,000-mile one.

Now things are looking a little grim—and this visit is going to cost considerably more than it might have if I’d dealt with the smaller issues sooner.

It made me think about how often we do the same thing with our bodies, especially our pelvic health. We ignore the occasional leak, heaviness, constipation, discomfort during sex, or that feeling that something simply isn’t quite right. We tell ourselves it’s normal after having a baby, part of getting older, or something we’ll address when life calms down.

Then one day, the brakes are practically threadbare.

Pelvic floor therapy doesn’t have to be something you pursue only when symptoms become severe. A pelvic floor checkup can help identify changes early, answer questions, and give you practical strategies before a manageable concern becomes a bigger disruption.

Consider scheduling a checkup if you’re experiencing:

• Bladder leakage, urgency, or frequent urination

• Pelvic pressure, heaviness, or a bulging sensation

• Constipation or difficulty emptying

• Pelvic pain or pain with intimacy

• Changes during pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, or menopause

• Difficulty returning to exercise or activities you enjoy

You don’t need to wait for a warning light—or for your brakes to wear out completely. If something has changed, feels uncomfortable, or is making you plan your life around your bladder, bowels, or pelvic floor, it’s worth getting checked.

Learn from my car-maintenance mistake: regular checkups are usually much easier than emergency repairs.