Opening Up About Overactive Pelvic Floor

Yesterday, I came across an Instagram reel of a woman out for a run who suddenly felt the urgent need to open her bowels. The creator used humour to tell the story, and what struck me most was the outpouring of support in the comments. There were laughs, curiosity, and plenty of “this has happened to me too.”

Although pelvic floor dysfunction is far from humorous, the relatability of her content created a safe moment online. Women felt seen. They felt understood. And they opened up.

Twenty years ago, when I was living with pelvic floor dysfunction, I could never have imagined these topics being discussed so openly. I don’t know who the woman in the reel was, but I applaud her for shining a light on something so important. I also hope she books in with a pelvic floor physiotherapist, because these symptoms can be helped.

It’s no surprise that I now work with women experiencing the very challenges I once lived through.

I continue to manage my own symptoms. Bowel urgency is one of them. An overactive pelvic floor is another—often showing up as frequent urination and painful intercourse if my nervous system isn’t regulated. For years, I wasn’t referred for support because I wasn’t incontinent. In my experience, overactive pelvic floor issues often slip under the radar.

What Overactive Pelvic Floor Symptoms Can Look Like

• Frequent urination or feeling unable to fully empty
• Sudden urgency to pee or poo
• Constipation or difficulty starting a bowel movement
• Painful intercourse or penetration discomfort
• Pelvic pain, heaviness, or deep ache
• Difficulty relaxing the muscles after they tighten
• Tailbone, hip, or low back pain
• A persistent feeling of tightness or gripping in the pelvis
• Restricted breathing or rib cage tension

These symptoms are common, but that doesn’t make them normal.

My approach blends movement, breathwork, and therapeutic coaching to support both the body and the nervous system. Pelvic floor issues rarely exist in isolation; they are interconnected with stress, emotional load, trauma, breathing, and movement patterns.

For years, I felt deep shame about my vaginismus. I didn’t tell anyone. Now, two decades later, I share my story because I know how isolating pelvic floor dysfunction can feel—and how transformational the right support can be.

If you’re experiencing these symptoms, please know you’re not alone. Help is available, and change is possible.