You Deserve to Feel Fine About Your Pelvic Floor

August 30, 2023 2:34 PM

Vagina Rehab Doctor aka Dr. Janelle Howell (Instagram, Twitter and podcast) dresses up as your pesky bladder, suggests exercises for incontinence, cringes at "good coochie" brags and gives a rundown on possible signs of pelvic floor dysfunction. Content note: profane humor and lots of illustrations of vulvas on Dr. Howell's IG. Title taken from the recent Double Shift post on pelvic floors. Interview on Dr. Streicher's menopause podcast.

Dr. Howell also created the Women of Color Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Directory.

Even without logging in/having an account, IG posts should be visible to all on web browsers on laptops/desktops, but will not be viewable on mobile phones.

posted by spamandkimchi (9 comments total)

following!
posted by supermedusa at 3:07 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

This is great
posted by parmanparman at 3:14 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

but will not be viewable on mobile phones.

I believe you can anonymously view IG posts in a mobile browser (Safari works for me), just not the Instagram app. So, maybe delete the app if you happen to have it installed but aren’t logged in, and then links should open in the browser.
posted by staggernation at 3:19 PM on August 30, 2023

Thanks for this! Although there's more info out there than there used to be on this topic, so much of is nowhere near common knowledge. Pelvic floor issues are perceived as being related to incontinence, but for a lot of people that's not the problem. After a flare of interstitial cystitis, I found the best help in yoga designed to relax a tight pelvic floor.
posted by bizzyb at 4:48 PM on August 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

May I just say I absolutely hate how much of this is just mystic fucking knowledge instead of just freely available? There's more info yes but you have to piece it together like in scrolls, rather than just having a book you can reference.
posted by corb at 7:00 PM on August 30, 2023 [11 favorites]

I've been facing some of these issues for 50 years. It's getting better, but a lot more slowly than we deserve.

Tightlipped.org is a grassroots movement by and for people with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain. They have print resources, a podcast, teaching materials for medical-field students, and young-people energy. I share their vision:

Everyone with vulvovaginal pain receives an accurate diagnosis and affordable, effective treatment

Medical institutions fund and prioritize these conditions

Conversations about vulvovaginal and pelvic pain find their rightful place at the table

posted by Jesse the K at 2:39 PM on August 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

Jesse the K, that Tight Lipped org (IG account for those who use IG) is amazing! The zine especially! I was exploring some of their links and ended up on this blog post from Southern Pelvic Health about tailbone pain.... it me, maybe.

THANK YOU for sharing this.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:37 AM on September 1, 2023

Oh also the link to UTIs that are not always UTIs....
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:37 AM on September 1, 2023

Mod note: Comment removed. Please don't post comments that essentially say "but what about men" in a thread about women.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:52 AM on September 2, 2023