Understanding The Importance of Reproductive Health Therapies: A Comprehensive Guide

The scope of reproductive health therapies has increased over the recent years. This is given the immense stress, anxiety, and emotional disturbance faced by couples over the issue of not being able to conceive. This has been accompanied by relationship problems secondary to not being able to get one’s partner pregnant. Additionally, the miscarriages happening after repeated efforts, have amplified the need to consider adopting health therapies that besides improving the possibilities of conception, will also help enhance reproductive health and function.

Reproductive Health Therapies

Reproductive health therapy, also known as Fertility Therapy, aims to help partners in coping with the various issues surrounding their fertility. Since these predominantly include the difficulties in conceiving or at the most, sustaining one’s pregnancy, it is understandable as to the extent of disappointment and frustration that a couple faces for not being able to bear a child of their own. Reproductive/Fertility Therapy, therefore, strives to help every prospective parent out there to prepare well for their pregnancy to ultimately begets a healthy offspring.

Going forward, it has been felt appropriate to examine the role of physical therapy in improving reproductive health. It must be also worth mentioning here that engaging in physical therapy benefits any woman who is having ongoing issues with fertility, not excluding the issues faced by a man in his effort to make his partner pregnant.

Understanding the Role of Physical Therapy in Reproductive Health

Physical therapy not only ensures a feeling of goodness but also facilitates good reproductive health. The effectiveness of physical therapy in terms of reproduction is such that from sexual health to menopause, engaging the pelvic floor helps one to improve one’s core strength. Reproductive health comprises each of the above-stated phases, i.e., sexual health, pregnancy, and the prenatal and postpartum periods. it would be reasonable enough to examine how physical therapy benefits these aspects of the reproductive system.

• Sexual Health: Partners get to improve their muscle length and function when engaging in physical therapy. Additionally, undertaking physical therapy also helps clear any physical obstruction that may prevent the eggs and sperm from meeting and uniting, the process being fertilization.
• Pregnancy: Helps reduce the strains and pains caused by pregnancy-related discomfort, thus rendering a positive experience during the postpartum period.
• Prenatal and Postpartum Periods: Physical therapy carried out during the postpartum period has been well associated with good visual and auditory acuity. In the prenatal phase, as stated above, it helps ease the pain and relieve the discomfort.
• Menopause: Effectively helps in managing the difficulties surrounding menopause, including hot flashes, emotional disturbances, and vaginal dryness.

Types of Physical Therapy Exercises For Improving Reproductive Health

Among the most notable physical therapy exercises applicable to improving reproductive health, pelvic floor exercises have been regarded as extremely reliable. This is because these help tighten the pelvic floor muscles. Others have included the following:

Shortwave Diathermy

One of those effective ways of managing reproductive health is shortwave diathermy (SWD). It utilizes high-frequency electric current for stimulating heat generation within the tissues of the body, which in turn, improves blood flow to the pelvic organs, as well as relieving the pain, thereby improving the mobility of the tissues in the pelvic regions.

EMG Biofeedback (EMGB)

Considered an adjuvant to pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), EMGB has been known to efficiently manage severe pelvic conditions. Of note, these have mainly included stress urinary incontinence with or without PFMT. It has also been known to improve sexual health, as an outcome to reducing issues with stress urinary incontinence.

PC Exercise Training (PCET)/Kegel’s Exercise

The pelvic floor muscles can also be strengthened with the help of PC Exercise Training or what can be commonly termed Kegel’s exercise. This type of physical therapy functions similarly to the EMGB by significantly paying attention to supporting one’s bowel and bladder function.  

Pelvic Floor Muscle Relaxation Exercise (PFMRE)

Though these exercises are not directly related to improving fertility outcomes, can indirectly facilitate treatments related to the same. Further, since the latter requires strong and healthy pelvic muscles, considering adopting pelvic floor muscle relaxation exercises can help fulfill this purpose.  

Electrical Stimulation (ES)

The effectiveness of electrical stimulation in improving/enhancing reproductive health has not been wholly established. This is especially concerned with neuromuscular electrical stimulation from an intravaginal perspective. However, one cannot omit the possibility of exercises like these in addressing or preventing stress urinary incontinence in women to improve their reproductive health.

Since pelvic floor exercises, especially Kegel, have been known to relieve symptoms, such as pain and discomfort in the pelvic area, where these issues can likely impact reproductive health, these, if unresolved, can also disrupt one’s quality of life. As if these issues are enough to render one infertile, it has been felt highly important to consider those pelvic floor exercises that will help improve fertility rates in couples, especially in women.

How Important is Physical Therapy in Improving Reproductive Health?

It has been earlier described how physical therapy plays a pivotal role in enhancing the various aspects of reproductive health. These included sexual health, pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal periods, and menopause. Additionally, the types of physical therapy applicable to improving fertility rates have compounded the finding that not all of them can effectively improve reproductive health. This fact has, therefore, instilled the need to gather enough studies to elaborate on the types of physical therapy discussed here. Doing so will help confirm their efficacy for the purpose mentioned in this topic.

Conclusion

The article ‘Reproductive Health Therapies: Physical Therapy For Reproductive Health” has deliberately attempted to brief on its role in improving the same. It also explained what it means by ‘Reproductive Health Therapies’ in general. Through this, it was able to convey the types of physical therapy that can be specifically utilized for improving issues related to reproductivity. However, it has mandated the need to conduct enough studies to successfully establish the effectiveness of the different pelvic floor exercises in improving reproductive health. In any case, please consult with your nearby IVF specialist before undergoing any physical therapy.