Why pelvic floor exercises should be part of sex education

Why isn't this already a thing?

It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I realised how little I had actually been taught in school when it came to sex education and in particular, my own body. It was really the bare minimum of 'this is a period, and if you have sex you will get pregnant - the end.' I was not shown how to check my breasts for lumps, was told basically nothing about the anatomy of my vagina (sure why would we need to know that) and pelvic floor exercises? Not a chance. Having given birth to two children I am now very familiar with pelvic floor exercises, but I really wish I had been taught how to do them sooner. Even women I know who haven't had children have said that they always feel like they are running to the toilet every few minutes, and that it's always the first thing they take into consideration if they're going out or going on a long drive. While we assume this is the norm it's actually not if our pelvic floor muscles are in check, which is why it is so important to not only know how to do pelvic floor exercises, but to start doing them as soon as possible. Earlier this year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK put forth guidelines stating that pelvic floor exercises should be taught to girls in secondary school. Speaking on the subject Prof Gillian Leng, chief executive of NICE, said;

"Improving women's awareness of pelvic floor health and encouraging them to practise pelvic floor muscle exercises throughout their lives is the most effective way to prevent pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common and often debilitating set of symptoms that can result in many issues for women."

Young girls deserve a better sex education than is being offered at most schools, and while things are improving we still have a long way to go. If you have a pre-teen or teenage daughter, ask her if she feels that the sex education she has received in school is enough - and if not why not? It's important that we educate our daughters, and ourselves, on how to look after our bodies, and make sure the next generation of young women don't feel as left out of the loop as many of us have. You can find out more about pelvic floor exercises here.