PFD Awareness Month: What We've Been Taught to Ignore

An estimated 1 in 3 women will experience pelvic floor dysfunction in their lifetime. Most of them will wait years before seeking care. Many will never be told that what they're dealing with has a name, let alone a treatment.

August is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Awareness Month. The point isn't the social media posts. It's the person reading this who has been leaking for two years, managing pelvic pain they've been told is hormonal, or quietly skipping workouts because of symptoms they've normalized, finally learning that there's a name for it and a treatment.

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Awareness Month?

PFD Awareness Month is an annual August campaign dedicated to increasing public awareness of pelvic floor dysfunction: how common it is, what symptoms look like, and that evidence-based treatment exists. It's supported by pelvic health organizations across the US and internationally.

The need for it is real. Most people with PFD symptoms wait an average of 6.5 years before seeking care. That delay isn't because people aren't suffering. It's because they've been told to expect it, told there's nothing to be done, or simply never encountered language that helped them identify what was happening as something treatable.

The silence that makes awareness necessary

The pelvic region sits at the intersection of several cultural silences. It's the area most shaped by messages that teach people to disconnect from it early: religious and cultural messaging around the pelvis and sexuality, medical education that historically undertreated women's pelvic health, and a broad normalization of symptoms like leaking and pelvic pain as inevitable parts of having a body.

The consequences are not abstract. Delayed treatment means progressive symptoms. Prolapse that could have been managed becomes more complex. Incontinence that could have been resolved becomes a reason to stop running. Painful sex that could have been treated becomes a reason to avoid intimacy. None of those outcomes were inevitable.

What conditions fall under pelvic floor dysfunction

PFD is not one condition. It's a category that includes urinary incontinence (stress, urge, and mixed), pelvic organ prolapse, fecal incontinence, pelvic pain syndromes, dyspareunia (pain during sex), vaginismus, interstitial cystitis symptoms, constipation and obstructive defecation, tailbone pain, and postpartum symptoms that haven't resolved.

A lot of people carry one of these diagnoses without knowing pelvic floor OT is relevant. Interstitial cystitis. Endometriosis-related pelvic pain. Vulvodynia. Postpartum "just how things are now." These diagnoses often have a pelvic floor component that specialized OT can directly address.

If you have any of these and no one has mentioned pelvic floor OT, that's a gap worth closing.

What evidence-based pelvic floor treatment actually involves

Pelvic floor occupational therapy is assessment-first and individualized. Treatment is built around what the pelvic floor is actually doing, whether that's too tight, too weak, or uncoordinated, and the person's specific goals, history, and daily function.

Treatment is not a Kegel protocol. It typically includes thorough intake and history-taking, internal and external functional assessment with consent and explanation at every step, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, behavioral and lifestyle strategies, and a plan that reflects the whole person, not just the muscle. Most people see meaningful improvement. Many fully resolve symptoms they'd been carrying for years.

How awareness becomes action

Awareness month is an invitation to do something specific. If you've been living with symptoms and haven't sought care, this month is the push to make the appointment. If you've been told there's nothing to be done, that assessment may have been wrong. If you've been waiting until symptoms get bad enough, they're probably already past that point.

For providers: this is a good moment to build or strengthen referral relationships with pelvic floor specialists. PFD touches almost every clinical population. OBs, midwives, GPs, orthopedic PTs, and mental health clinicians all see it, and patients benefit when their care team knows where to route them.

For everyone else: forward the posts. Tell the person in your life who's been managing quietly. Awareness months work when they prompt actual conversations.

If you're in New York and ready to stop managing and start treating, The Lifted Lotus is a women's pelvic health practice in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Every clinician is a pelvic floor occupational therapist. The first appointment includes full intake, assessment, and a personalized plan.

Book a consult at The Lifted Lotus →

And if you want to come in with a clearer sense of what's going on, the Self-Advocacy Guide is a free resource that helps you understand your symptoms and know what questions to ask.

Download the Self-Advocacy Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Awareness Month?

PFD Awareness Month is observed every August. It's dedicated to raising public awareness of pelvic floor dysfunction, its prevalence, and the availability of evidence-based treatment through pelvic floor occupational therapy and physical therapy.

How common is pelvic floor dysfunction?

An estimated 1 in 3 women will experience pelvic floor dysfunction in their lifetime. It affects people across ages, body types, and reproductive histories. Despite its prevalence, most people with symptoms wait years before seeking care.

What are the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction?

Symptoms include urinary leaking with coughing, sneezing, or exercise; sudden urgent need to urinate; pelvic pressure or heaviness; pain during or after sex; pelvic pain at rest or with activity; constipation; tailbone pain; and postpartum symptoms that haven't resolved with time.

Is pelvic floor dysfunction treatable?

Yes. Pelvic floor dysfunction responds well to occupational therapy that includes individualized assessment, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and behavioral strategies. Many people fully resolve symptoms they had accepted as permanent.

Where can I find a pelvic floor therapist in New York?

The Lifted Lotus offers pelvic floor OT in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. You can book directly without a physician referral. The team specializes in incontinence, pelvic pain, postpartum recovery, prolapse, and painful sex.