Menopause: The Complimentary Approach of Medical & Physiotherapy Management

When navigating perimenopause and menopause, you're commonly told that the only management options for your pelvic health (urinary urgency and/or incontinence, prolapse, vaginal dryness/burning/pain, constipation or leakage of faeces or wind) are to either do some Kegel's or "wait and see".

In reality, effective care is a multi-faceted approach where medical management and pelvic health physiotherapy work in conjunction with each other.

Here is a comparison of treatment options, and how Beaches Pelvic Physio can assist you:

1. Medical Options (GP/Specialist)

   1. Topical Vaginal Oestrogen: Either in cream or pessary (tablet) format, this restores the thickness of the vaginal walls, improves lubrication, calms the bladder and increases the bulk of the urethra thus decreases pain with sexual intercourse, and reduces bladder urgency and recurrent infections. It may also help with urinary incontinence

   2. Systemic MHT - Menopause Hormone Therapy (previously known as HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy): This supports the more general symptoms of sleep and mood disturbance, vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes, night sweats), and helps maintain bone density, cardiovascular health and muscle bulk

   3. Targeted Prescriptions: Non-hormonal medical management for bladder or bowel dysfunction

2. Pelvic Health Physiotherapy (Beaches Pelvic Physio)

   Physiotherapy tailored to your exact needs addresses the physical aspects of peri-/menopause by:

   1. Precision Muscle Control: Optimising your pelvic floor muscle function so that it can respond dynamically as required. This maybe teaching you how to release and relax the muscles to reduce pain with penetrative sex, and help you to empty your bowel more effectively. Alternatively it may involve strengthening and coordinating the pelvic floor muscles to support your bladder and bowel better to control urgency, leakage or prolapse symptoms

   2. Prolapse Management: Pelvic floor optimisation as above, together with the option of fitting a vaginal support pessary to reduce the symptoms of prolapse and prevent it worsening, and guided exercise programmes to help you exercise without fear, maintain global strength and bone density

   3. Bladder & Bowel Retraining: Restoring normal bladder capacity and control, and teaching optimal bowel and toileting habits to end chronic straining

   4. Nervous System Regulation: Calming autonomic hypervigilance through breathwork and pacing to reduce central pain processing

Take control of your menopausal care!

Integrated Management: As you can see from the above information, management of your pelvic health during the peri-/menopause period is multifaceted, dependent on your symptom profile and needs to be tailored to you. It commonly involves both medical and physiotherapeutic management to optimise your wellness.

Beaches Pelvic Physio specialise in management of pelvic health during perimenopause and menopause (and during all stages of life) so why not take control of your wellness during this season of life and book an appointment now for a comprehensive assessment and tailored treatment plan to get you back to feeling great?

For additional information click here to read our previous blog on menopause.

We have 6 Pelvic Health Physio's working across 3 locations in Manly, North Curl Curl and Mona Vale.

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