Fascia in Focus: Improving Pelvic Health and Sexual Wellness

Did you know that pelvic floor disorders affect nearly 24% of women in the US? Many people also don’t realize that fascia—the connective tissue surrounding and supporting almost every organ, muscle, and bone—plays a crucial, yet often overlooked, role in pelvic health.

Let’s explore how fascia affects pelvic floor health and sexual wellness. 

Fascia and Pelvic Health

When it comes to pelvic health, the issue might lie in the tissue. Fascia is a continuous, web-like network of connective tissue found throughout the body that surrounds and interconnects muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs, providing structure, support, and mobility. It organizes your connective tissue system (CTS), a huge sensory organ that significantly influences cardiovascular health.

Regarding the pelvic region, the fascia is tightly integrated with pelvic muscles, ligaments, and nerves. This allows it to stabilize the pelvic organs, ensuring they remain in proper alignment within the pelvic cavity. 

The diaphragm also plays a key role in pelvic floor health as they’re connected through the fascial system, creating a continuous structure spanning the thoracic cavity to the pelvis. So, when tension in the diaphragm is released through breathwork or posture correction, for example, it can relax the pelvic floor, improving its overall functionality and health.

Fascia and Sexual Health

You experience the world through your senses, and your fascia—rich in mechanoreceptors and nerve endings—supports sensory perception, muscle function, and circulation, all essential for sexual health. In the pelvis, these receptors transmit sensory signals to the brain, influencing sexual arousal. 

For optimal fascia and sexual health, you need an elastic and hydrated fascia for smooth, pain-free tissue movement, which enhances comfort and pleasure. Hence, a tense, restricted, or dehydrated fascia can compress nerves, dull sensations, potentially cause pain, and diminish sexual pleasure.

For example, a tight diaphragm can lift the pelvic floor and surrounding organs. However, you need the pelvic floor to stay down to elongate the vaginal cavity to allow access for penetration and access to areas of sensory pleasure. 

Top fascia stretching tip for better sex: A healthy and lubricated fascia helps you to stretch and increase your flexibility. And being flexible gives you options with positions in the bedroom, increasing sexual pleasure.

Boost Your Fascia for Better Pelvic Health and Sex

When many people think of a healthy pelvic floor, they may think of kegels. However, this simple contraction motion can actually lead to more tension. 

Movement is medicine, and introducing micro-movements throughout the day can strengthen, lubricate, and improve the overall health of your fascia by reanimating your tissue. 

Recommend movements for strong fascia and pelvic health: 

1. Lace your fingers behind your back, lift your rib cage, extend your ribs, and breathe five times. This opens up the thoracic cavity to let your tissue and the organs resettle in your torso.
2. Again, with fingers laced behind your back, breathe in and pull your guts down to your pelvis. This helps teach your diaphragm to descend, not ascend, helping release tension in your pelvic floor. 
3. Stand up and lift your toes off the ground. This will shift your pelvis and weight back into the right polarity line with your spine and reduce strain on your pelvic floor. 

All these simple micro-movements can be done throughout the day, like when you’re brushing your teeth before bed, or waiting for your coffee to brew.

Start your 7-day free trial of the Vital Life Studio to discover how using the right fascia tools can make you feel stronger, healthier, and more comfortable in your body.