The Hyperlink Between Collagen & Pelvic Ground Well being, From An Knowledgeable

First, let’s focus on what the pelvic flooring does, precisely: “The pelvic flooring is made up of muscle mass, pores and skin, and fascia,” explains urogynecologist and pelvic flooring professional Betsy Greenleaf, D.O. “It’s this tissue that’s liable for maintaining all of our organs from dropping out the underside, equivalent to bowels, bladder, and reproductive organs in girls.” Consider your pelvis like an open bowl constructed out of your hip bones—whereas it creates a sturdy construction, Greenleaf notes, little is holding your organs inside. “It’s a determined struggle towards gravity.” That is why it is vital to strengthen these pelvic flooring muscle mass so you possibly can higher assist your continence (aka bladder management), intercourse drive, and extra over time.

Now collagen, as chances are you’ll know, helps make up the construction of your pores and skin, bone, fascia (aka connective tissues), and muscle (it is essentially the most plentiful protein within the physique, as a matter of truth).* So it possible would not come as a shock that collagen performs a key function in pelvic flooring well being: “Collagen composes the tissue, equivalent to fascia and ligaments and provides to the power towards gravity,”* notes Greenleaf. Particularly, your pelvic tissues include primarily kind I and kind III collagen1.

However, sigh, collagen ranges deplete over time, because of issues like growing old, smoking, genetics, and a host of different elements. Your pelvic flooring additionally occurs to weaken over time as you lose muscle mass (plus, gravity afflicts us all sooner or later), and based on Greenleaf, pure collagen decline can velocity up that course of.

“Weakening of the pelvic flooring is a mix of thinning of the collagen within the fascia and muscle mass and weakening the muscle fibers,” she says. Basically: “It’s double bother for the pelvic flooring with reducing collagen and reducing muscle mass.” Analysis even reveals that collagen content material is decrease in girls who have to strengthen their pelvic flooring2; an elevated breakdown of collagen can also be tied to emphasize urination in girls3 (aka, each time a bodily exercise—laughing, sneezing, coughing, and so on.—places stress on the bladder and causes it to leak).