Study: Pelvic floor muscle exercise can improve sexual function in women with MS

[ActiveMSers]

Family Medicine & Primary Care Review
vol. 22

The effect of pelvic floor muscle exercises on sexual function in women with multiple sclerosis: a pre – post intervention clinical trial

Pourandokht Afshari, Nosrat Zaherian, et al

https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2020.95328
Online publish date: 2020/07/02

Introduction
Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In women with MS, there are no specific pharmacological or non-pharmacological therapies which have been proven effective for SD. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic floor muscle exercises on improving sexual function in women with MS.

Material and methods
This study was a pre-/post-intervention clinical trial conducted on 45 MS women who had been referred to the MS Clinic in Ahvaz, Iran. All participants were selected by the purposeful sampling method. The data collection tools in this study included a demographic data form and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. The study participants (n = 45) performed pelvic floor muscle exercises for 12 consecutive weeks. The data were analyzed as descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) with the Shapiro–Wilk test, the independent t-test, and the paired t-test using SPSS software version 24; a p-value of <0.05 was selected as the significance level.

Results
The results revealed that after pelvic floor muscle exercise, the mean score of sexual function of women with MS had increased from 10.58 to 30.17 and that this increase was statistically significant (p = 0.001).

Conclusions
Pelvic floor muscle exercise can improve sexual function in women with MS. Thus, performing these exercises is recommended as an easy and cost-effective method to improve the sexual function of these patients.

[Suebee]

Pelvic Floor exercises

Important article Dave, thanks for posting it! Interesting how most do not usually talk of pelvic floor issues openly, even with their own doctors. I couldn’t access the article you posted, so unsure why MS was specifically focused on vs the host of reasons pelvic floors get weak besides MS weakness: child birth, obesity, inactivity, chronic coughers, etc). Also, men get pelvic floor weakness too and can benefit from exercises.

Anyway, without getting too personal, I’ve had these discussions with many female friends and drs and found that many get incontinence, pain, weakness contributing to core weakness because of weak pelvic muscles. But good news is not only is there an APP for that! But there are a variety of options available if this issue affects you ranging from at home simple exercises to working with a physiologist with an internal device. Talk to your GYN or internist for diagnosis and treatment options.
Here is link to Australia’s Nat’l Institute of Health with (cartoon) video of how pelvic floor muscles work, and how to do exercises, female specific https://www.continence.org.au/pages/...oor-women.html

And more exercises for both men and woman here http://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/

App- haven’t tried it but some friends tell swear by it. There are quite a few out there. Here is free one http://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/p...first-app.html

I think some remind you during day to “flex” and keeps track of your progress. I would find such reminders interrupting my tenuous brain focus, but Hey if it works for you, great! You go girl, or I guess don’t go!,