Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Apr;21(4):475-81.
doi: 10.1007/s00192-009-1060-1. Epub 2009 Dec 8.

Breathing with the pelvic floor? Correlation of pelvic floor muscle function and expiratory flows in healthy young nulliparous women

Helena Talasz  1 , Markus Kofler, Elisabeth Kalchschmid, Michael Pretterklieber, Monika Lechleitner
Affiliations

Breathing with the pelvic floor? Correlation of pelvic floor muscle function and expiratory flows in healthy young nulliparous women

Helena Talasz et al. Int Urogynecol J. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine correlations between pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function and expiratory function in healthy young nulliparous women.

Methods: In 40 volunteers, PFM function was assessed by vaginal palpation. Forced expiration patterns were evaluated visually and by palpation of the suprapubic insertion region of the anterolateral abdominal muscles. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory flows (FEF) were determined by spirometry.

Results: Incremental positive correlation was found between voluntary PFM contraction strength and forced expiratory flow at 25%, 50% and 75% (FEF(25%), FEF(50%), FEF(75%)) of the FVC, respectively. Positive correlation was also found between PFM contraction strength and forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV(1)). No correlation was found between PFM contraction strength and FVC or peak expiratory flow (PEF).

Conclusions: Despite some limitations of this study, the observed correlation between PFM contraction strength and forced expiratory flows may serve as theoretical background for a potential role of coordinated abdominal and PFM training in diseases with expiratory flow limitations.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2004 Mar-Apr;15(2):76-84 - PubMed
    1. Neurourol Urodyn. 2007;26(3):362-71 - PubMed
    1. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2002;13(2):125-32 - PubMed
    1. J Urol. 1982 May;127(5):964-9 - PubMed
    1. Eur Respir J. 2005 Nov;26(5):948-68 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources