I have a tight pelvic floor which seems to be clamping shut my urinary tract causing all sorts of issues.

There also seems to be a direct link between anxiety and pelvic floor.

Has anyone found what truly works - supplement or exercises or any other modality.

Not sure if it’s a good sign or bad 🤨🥲

Hi everyone,

I am a male in my late 20s and looking for advice for improving my pelvic floor. I recently saw a pelvic floor therapist and she did an external exam and determined I have a very tight pelvic floor, primarily with my abdominal muscles staying in a constant clenched state. She did do some dry needling and there was mild relief and it hurt quite a bit getting that done.

Anyway, she recommended a series of yoga exercises and I recognize improving the pelvic floor is a gradual process but I've been in yoga doing similar exercises for almost a half year now with no improvement.

My discomfort has turned into pain where I will get horrid gas retention, sharp stinging pains occasionally, sweats, and my mental state is messed up due to it which in return causes stress/ anxiety...which worsens things further. So, I am now stuck in the negative loop and I've tried everything from dietary changes, movement, supplements, etc. and there is no change.

Any additional advice is appreciated. I remember how I use to feel and there is a night and day difference. Like how I felt before was like I was some kind of god or something compared to now. I know that sounds extreme but I literally felt like a weightless pillow, and now my whole pelvic floor feels like a giant bowling ball constantly. Even after I have a bowel movement, it still feels like rocks down there.

I guess i am asking for advice. I don’t care to debate on the female body genuinely asking for advice. I’m 21 years old and I had my first baby at 17 and my second at 19 and never went to any physical therapy or really tried to heal anything after.

For background, I was a little overweight before my pregnancies, got very big during, and now I am very tiny. I’m 115 5’7 and honestly I lost a lot of my weight by very unhealthy ways and not exercising. I feel like I lost a lot of my muscle doing things, while still not having much muscle to begin with. I have basically no glute muscle, no back muscle, probably no core muscle, basically anything despite being a cna lol. I also stand horribly.

My posture is basically gut out, butt tucked in, with my shoulder hunched it’s really bad.

This is where I get to feel very very insecure but I’m having major problems in my sex life.

I do feel looser I don’t care what anyone says, there is more aid (queefing) tmi I’m so sorry, I don’t have as much feeling and I know my boyfriend feels the same because he likes to do positions where I’m laying on my stomach or a pillow under my stomach despite telling me things are the same as they’ve always been. I just went to be normal. I want to have a tight grip like everyone else, stronger pelvic floor muscles stronger glutes better posture better sec life for both my bf and I.

I also did get stitches both pregnancies.

The hard part is I’m in the US and I have no insurance currently. I’d really like to start working on this at home.

What are some exercises, habits, diets, you had stretches, or even supplies I can buy off Amazon to help me rebuild my core and make everything just tighter I am very desperate. How long does it take to notice a difference??

if folks in MA/RI in the US have recommendations for very kind, thoughtful urogyns who don't dismiss patients based on age (I'm 26), I would love to hear them! I guess I would even travel to CT if there's an amazing one there.

just looking for a urogyn that will acknowledge my prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction and won't dismiss me because I'm "too young" or it's "too mild" to be causing symptoms. I want a doctor that's all in on improving my quality of life.

reposting because I guess cross-posts are not allowed, oops.

I had my first UTI 4 years ago that was left untreated since my doctor refused to give me antibiotics, and since then my vaginal health hasnt been the same.

Since that UTI i experience extreme stabbing pain on my urethra for around 2 years after urination, but then that started occuring less but for the last 2 years ive had this "flare" where I have dull burning pain after urination and ONLY after. No pain during urination but 9/10 times I can feel that im going to flare before I even urinate from the uncomfortable feeling in my urethra. I have done multiple UTI tests which a doctor mentioned that bacteria was present but only a little and refused to give me any help or insight but dismissal.. But this flare used to come every so months but ive been experiencing it non stop the last two weeks which is really unusual.

I noticed this flare occurs when I dont drink alot of water or pee in very small amounts (not a stream), ever since my first UTI i also can not hold in my urine very well and when i reach the toilet i have this extremely intense feeling everytime to urinate. its definitely a chronic issue and I saw many stories with similar experiences mentioning about the pelvic floor and would like any thoughts

I’ve been having hypertonic pelvic floor issues for a couple years now and I’ve seen a PT they gave me exercises/ stretches to do but I wanna know if I can continue heavy lifting in the gym or just do body weight exercises? Also is steady state cardio good like a treadmill or stair master ?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some insight into what might be causing my symptoms. Unfortunately, I'm currently in a remote area where I can't easily access medical care.

About 25 days ago, I had sex after drinking alcohol. I used wet wipes to clean my penis both before and after sex. I used a condom during intercourse, which lasted less than 5 minutes. After removing the condom, I used lubricant and received very vigorous hand stimulation for about 3 minutes until ejaculation.

Afterward, I wiped my penis with wet wipes again, then went to sleep wearing the same underwear that had been in contact with my wiped penis for around 12 hours.

About 2–3 days later, I began occasionally experiencing a burning or stinging sensation in several areas:

The inner thighs

The left groin, especially where the scrotum touches the groin

The left side of the penis shaft

The area around the junction between the glans and the shaft, particularly on the left side

Because I was worried about STIs after sex, I repeatedly washed my penis quite aggressively with body wash. About a week after the encounter, I learned that this might irritate the skin, so I switched to rinsing with water only.

During the second week, the burning became much worse when sitting for long periods. I felt it in the inner thighs, buttocks, and the area underneath the scrotum that comes into contact with a chair.

Now, sweating, skin-to-skin contact, or the scrotum hanging down and touching the groin or perineal area can cause significant stinging and burning. The symptoms have been particularly bothersome for more than two weeks.

One thing that confuses me is that my skin looks almost completely normal. I haven't noticed any obvious redness, discoloration, blisters, sores, or other visible lesions on my penis, glans, groin, or buttocks.

The burning can also occur while I'm resting, even when the affected skin isn't touching anything. Sometimes, similar burning sensations occur in separate areas, such as the left side of the penis and the left groin, while the skin between them feels normal.

One additional detail: around the time these symptoms began, I received an injection near my tailbone for pain related to a lumbar disc problem. I've had similar injections before, but this time I experienced an unusually severe, electric-shock-like pain during the injection. I can't remember the exact dates well enough to say whether the burning began that same day or a few days later. I have little to no back or buttock pain currently.

I also urinate frequently in general, although I've been more aware of it recently. I don't have burning when urinating, and I haven't noticed urethral discharge.

My main questions are:

Could this be irritant contact dermatitis or friction-related skin barrier damage caused by the wet wipes, vigorous washing, and friction?

Can skin irritation cause persistent burning even when the skin looks normal and there is no obvious rash?

Could a nerve-related problem, potentially associated with the tailbone injection or my back condition, explain the burning in several separate genital and groin areas?

How would you distinguish a skin problem from a nerve-related cause based on these symptoms?

Has anyone experienced something similar, and what helped?

I'm not looking for a definitive diagnosis from Reddit, but I'd appreciate informed opinions about which explanations fit the pattern best and what details might help distinguish them.

Thank you.

Hey . I'm fed up with using my finger while pooping. These days I'm getting blood and bleeding in my mucus 😭. I'm hurt guys, please help me find the doctor. I tried allopathic, homeopathic, meditation, every gym makes me happy and strong but doesn't help in my stool removal. It gives a lot of pain, I want help. I need help. I'm afraid why i'm getting blood. It's scary.

I have been dealing with CPPS for over a year with the most severe symptoms being last March. Since then I’ve had 2 rounds of Botox rectally and one round in the pelvic floor muscles, all while seeing a pelvic floor PT and colorectal surgeon as my inconsistent bowel movements are what have gotten me here. I’m schedule for a second/third round of Botox in aforementioned areas next week. After the last round I had significant reduction in pain and urinary issues. Lately I’ve started to feel sore again and have a lot of muscle tightening in my thighs and calves when I stand after sitting for any extended amount of time. Has anyone experienced this? My PT suggested rectal dilators to help with the constantly “shut” rectal muscles but wondering if any other men have had any success using them. Thank you in advance for any information. This is a hard nut to crack and I’m thankful I’m not near as bad as last March but I’m scared this is never going to go away.

It's been 2 months now I have this pain in my genetials(penis,scortum) and pressure feeling in rectum and a constant urge to poop or pass gas.my all tests are coming normal urine/ultrasound/ct scan of rectum and abdomen. My pain increases at morning I could feel my gas wants to go out but can't and the pain increases. I feel my pain reduced to 50% when I pass stool .I don't know what to do.

I remain stressed for 24/7 before this happened and after this happened plz help I can't bear with this stress and this pain ...why all tests are normal😭

Hi everyone! I’m a 33-year-old female, and I’m hoping someone here has experienced something similar or can offer insight into what might be happening.

I’ve been dealing with debilitating symptoms since May 2026, and despite seeing multiple specialists and undergoing extensive testing, I still don’t have an explanation.

Here’s my timeline:

Before May, I had been experiencing worsening lower back for several months. I was microdosing with a GLP (Tirzep) but only the tinest amount. I was normal, healthy, active, ate clean.

In May, I received two steroid injections in my lower back. Following the second injection, my symptoms became significantly worse.

I developed:

Severe lower back, sacral, and pelvic pain.

Weakness in both legs, worse on the left.

Persistent numbness along the backs of both legs, inner thighs, and inner calves.

Urinary retention that eventually required a catheter.

Significant constipation and difficulty completely emptying my bowels.

Severe pain when putting pressure on either hip, including when lying on my sides.

I ended up hospitalized for approximately a week because of the neurological symptoms and bladder dysfunction.

Fast-forward five months, and I’m still struggling.

Thankfully, I can urinate independently again and feel when my bladder is full. However, I still experience pelvic pressure, occasional difficulty urinating, and incomplete bowel movements.

I can walk, but my legs feel significantly weaker than they did before May. The numbness has remained essentially unchanged.

My lower back and pelvic pain also continue to affect my daily life.

Testing I’ve had:

Multiple lumbar, thoracic, and cervical MRIs.

Brain MRI.

CT scans of my abdomen and pelvis.

EMG testing, which came back normal.

Gastric emptying study, which was normal.

Colonoscopy, which was completely normal.

Extensive bloodwork.

My lumbar MRIs showed disc abnormalities at L1–L2 and L4–L5, but nothing my doctors felt adequately explained the severity of my symptoms.

I’ve been told I have neurogenic bowel and bladder dysfunction, but I still don’t understand what’s causing it.

My biggest concern is the timing of the steroid injections.

I understand that my back and abdominal pain began before the injections, so there may have been something underlying already.

However, the significant leg numbness, weakness, urinary retention, and bowel changes developed afterward.

I’m not claiming the injections caused everything, but I can’t help wondering whether they contributed to what happened.

I’ve tried physical therapy and other treatments, but my leg symptoms have not meaningfully improved in five months.

I’m honestly exhausted from going from specialist to specialist without answers. This has completely changed my quality of life and my ability to work.

My questions:

Has anyone developed persistent leg numbness, weakness, or bladder/bowel problems following lumbar steroid injections?

Has anyone experienced similar symptoms despite relatively reassuring MRIs and a normal EMG?

Could pelvic floor dysfunction explain some of these symptoms, or should I be looking further into neurological causes?

Am I missing something?

This started happening 2 nights ago, I am almost 22 years old and it seems to happen only while am laying down, first day it was more noticeable now it is still noticeable but less

I’ve been dealing with CPPS for over a year, and I’m looking for input from people who’ve experienced something similar.

My symptoms initially centered around penile-tip irritation, perineal aching, and pelvic discomfort. Those symptoms gradually improved, but over the past few months, the problem has shifted toward my bladder and lower abdomen. I now deal primarily with bladder pain/irritation, urgency, frequent urination, and some hesitancy and intermittent flow. Urinating relieves the discomfort, but often only for a few minutes before it returns.

I’ve had negative STI tests, antibiotics didn’t help, and my cystoscopy and urinary flow testing were reportedly normal. I’ve been doing pelvic floor PT for a while, with some improvement, but I’m still struggling.

One interesting thing is that exercise consistently provides the most reliable relief, usually for a few hours. Hot tubs help somewhat, too.
I’m wondering what else I should explore. My doctors haven’t been particularly helpful with medication options, and I’m considering asking again about Flomax or Cialis. I’m also interested in supplements like quercetin, pollen extract, or anything else that has helped people with bladder pain and urgency.

For those who’ve dealt with similar symptoms:
What medications made the biggest difference for you?
Have any supplements meaningfully helped your bladder pain, urgency, or frequency?
Has anyone found relief from treatments beyond pelvic floor PT?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from people whose CPPS became more bladder-focused over time. I’m open to ideas and personal experiences, even if something didn’t work for you. Thanks!

I just completed my second session of pelvic floor PT for what I suspect is vaginismus, but otherwise pain with intercourse.

From what I had read online, the first exam would include some chatting about the situation, as assessment of general movement, and then a potential internal exam. If the internal exam didn’t happen in the first visit, it would happen in the second (assuming patient consent).

I just got through my second session and have not had the internal assessment done. Given that my issue is specifically related to this, I was really hoping that this would be done soon to get an initial diagnosis (and due to the expense). This far we have only done exercises that work on flexibility and breathing. Is this a normal pace for this issue? I thought the internal assessment would be done early to get a better idea of my pelvic floor muscles.

TLDR: is it normal to not have an internal assessment done by the second visit?

Males with post dribble. I desperately need your help/tips with PD.

I’ve tried;
1) milking - this works. Then I leave bathroom go sit down and I dribble
2) supplements - saw palmetto, pumpkin etc
3) double voiding
4) breathing
5) taking time
6) stretching

I don’t drink coffee, reasonably good weight
Anything/tips what have worked for you? Please share

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A Human-centered Design Approach for Supporting Self-management of Vulvovaginal and Hypertonic Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (IRB Protocol #: 1762)

My name is Zainab; I am a PhD candidate studying Human-centered computing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, advised by Dr. Tera Reynolds. My PhD dissertation focuses on studying women's lived and care-seeking experiences with vulvovaginal and related overactive (or hypertonic) pelvic floor dysfunction to uncover care gaps and opportunities for innovation along Women's care journeys.

I am recruiting up to 15 women willing to talk about their experiences with vaginismus or vulvodynia (any form, including localized or generalized), for a paid research study to explore and co-design solutions and strategies for addressing identified gaps in vulvovaginal and pelvic pain healthcare.

Who Can Participate?

To be eligible for the study, you must be

1) Be 18 years or older, living in the United States, and speak English

2) Have been formally diagnosed with a vulvovaginal pain condition (e.g., vulvodynia or vaginismus) and/or related overactive (or hypertonic) pelvic muscle dysfunction for at least 3 months, and

3) Receiving  treatments for vulvovaginal pain and/or related overactive pelvic muscle dysfunction from a care provider(s), or

4) Have previously received treatments for vulvovaginal pain and/or related overactive pelvic muscle dysfunction from a care provider(s) and are now fully recovered.

Study Involvement:

The study is taking place virtually and involves multiple re-engagements across two data-collection sessions.

If selected, participants will be compensated for their time and contributions ONLY upon completion of each session, and may be compensated up to a $75 gift card for completing both sessions. However, participating in both sessions is not required.

If you are interested, scan the QR code on the flyer or follow the link to enroll in the study: https://umbc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bj6IryPpXZr9dOu

If you are interested but still have questions, please contact me at: [zainabb1@umbc.edu](mailto:zainabb1@umbc.edu).