Pelvic Floor Therapy and the LGBTQ+ Community

Carly Gossard
May 13
3 min read

Honoring Every Body This Pride Month and Beyond

As pelvic floor therapists, we are privileged to work with a beautifully diverse group of individuals. In honor of Pride Month, we want to highlight the importance of inclusive pelvic floor care for members of the LGBTQ+ community because pelvic health is for everyone.

Whether you're recovering from gender-affirming surgery, navigating chronic pelvic pain, dealing with incontinence, or just seeking to feel more at home in your body, pelvic floor therapy can play a vital role in your well-being.

Why Pelvic Floor Health Matters for LGBTQ+ Individuals

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that supports your bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs—and affects everything from core stability to sexual function. Like any muscle group, these tissues can become tight, weak, or uncoordinated. This can lead to symptoms such as:

Pelvic pain or discomfort
Pain with sex, dilation, or penetration
Urinary or fecal incontinence
Constipation or difficulty voiding
Post-surgical scar sensitivity or mobility issues
Difficulty engaging in core or physical activity

These symptoms don’t discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation. However, members of the LGBTQ+ community may face additional barriers to care, whether due to past medical trauma, misgendering, assumptions, or lack of provider training.

We’re working to change that.

How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help

Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized, trauma-informed approach to treating issues related to the pelvic region. As therapists, we work with your whole person, your goals, your anatomy, and your story. Here are just a few ways we support LGBTQ+ clients:

Gender-affirming care: Whether you're pre- or post-gender-affirming surgery, we help you prepare for or recover from procedures like vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, or hysterectomy with pelvic floor preparation, scar tissue mobilization, and dilation support.
Sexual wellness support: We provide a safe space to explore and treat pain with penetration, discomfort with orgasm, or tension that may be rooted in trauma or stress.
Trans-masculine and nonbinary care: Binding, hormone therapy, and anatomical variations can affect breathing patterns, posture, and pelvic health. Areas we regularly address in therapy.
Bladder and bowel function: Pelvic therapy can help reduce incontinence, improve voiding function, and support a return to comfort and confidence in daily life.

Our approach is always consent-based, affirming, and adapted to your unique identity and goals. You deserve healthcare that sees you fully.

How to Find an Inclusive Pelvic Floor Therapist

Finding the right pelvic floor therapist can make a huge difference in your experience. Here are a few tips:

Look for affirming language on a provider’s website. Do they mention LGBTQ+ inclusivity or gender-affirming care?
Check provider directories like the Pelvic Health Network, Postpartum Support International, or the Inclusive Therapists Directory.
Ask directly about inclusivity when scheduling: "Do your providers have experience working with LGBTQ+ clients?" or "Are your treatment approaches gender-affirming?"
Seek trauma-informed care if you’ve experienced medical mistreatment, assault, or dysphoria during exams or procedures.
Don’t be afraid to switch if a provider isn’t a good fit. You deserve respectful, supportive care.

This Pride Month, we’re standing with our LGBTQ+ clients and community. Pelvic floor therapy is about reconnecting with your body, building trust in your strength, and finding relief from pain or dysfunction. Your identity is valid and your story matters. Your pelvic health deserves care that affirms who you are.

If you’ve been putting off seeking help because of fear, past experiences, or not knowing where to start, please know you’re not alone. There is a growing network of inclusive pelvic health professionals ready to support you.

Your body is worthy of care. We see you. We celebrate you. Happy Pride Month!

References

Wesp, L. M., & Keuroghlian, A. S. (2017). Clinical Care for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Patients With Physical Trauma. Transgender Health, 2(1), 33–37. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2016.0032
Dubin, S. N., Nolan, I. T., Streed, C. G., Greene, R. E., Radix, A. E., & Morrison, S. D. (2018). Transgender health care: Improving medical students' and residents' training and awareness. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 9, 377–391. https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S147183
Rosenbaum, T. Y. (2017). Pelvic Floor Involvement in Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction and the Role of Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation in Treatment: A Narrative Review. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(4), 595–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.01.020
Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification. (Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute). https://hermanwallace.com
Postpartum Support International. LGBTQ+ Resources. https://www.postpartum.net