Effect of exercise on female pelvic floor morphology and muscle function: a systematic review

Introduction and hypothesis The objective was to synthesize the scientific evidence on the relationship of exercise with morphology and muscle function parameters of the female pelvic floor. The design was a systematic review. Methods Searches were performed in MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, SCOPUS, SportDiscuss, and Google Scholar up to April 2021. Observational and experimental studies evaluating the morphology and/or function of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) in women were eligible. Studies reporting exercise or sports disciplines as exposure/intervention were included. Results Twenty-five studies were included. Compared with the control group, women performing vigorous and high-impact exercises exhibited lower maximum voluntary contraction of the PFM and those performing moderate exercise had better maximum voluntary contraction. Exercise practitioners had a larger hiatal area at rest, during contraction, and during Valsalva, and greater bladder neck descent than the control group. Conclusions The results of this review demonstrate an inverse relationship of PFM maximum voluntary contraction with exercise intensity. Qualitative synthesis showed that the studies found favorable outcomes for the control group in terms of hiatal area during contraction and Valsalva and bladder neck displacement.