Postnatal Pelvic Floor Assessment: What Is Checked & Why It Matters
The six-week check after having a baby is often treated as the milestone that signals recovery. You’re cleared to drive, cleared to exercise, and told everything looks “fine.” But for many women, this is the first moment they realise they still don’t quite feel like themselves.
Leakage, heaviness, abdominal separation, pain, fear of exercise, uncertainty about intimacy — these are common experiences after birth. Yet they are not always thoroughly assessed in routine postpartum care.
A postnatal assessment with a women’s health physiotherapist provides a more detailed evaluation of recovery and gives you a clear, individualised plan moving forward.
What Is a Women’s Health Physiotherapist?
A women’s health physiotherapist is a physiotherapist with additional training and expertise in:
Pelvic floor assessment and rehabilitation
Pregnancy-related musculoskeletal pain
Postnatal recovery
Prolapse and incontinence management
Abdominal separation (diastasis recti)
Return-to-exercise progression
Unlike a general musculoskeletal assessment, a women’s health physiotherapy review may include an internal pelvic floor assessment (with consent) to evaluate strength, coordination, endurance and relaxation.
This level of assessment allows targeted rehabilitation rather than generic advice.
Why the Standard 6-Week Postpartum Check Is Often Not Enough
The six-week GP or obstetric check is important, but it is not designed to comprehensively assess pelvic floor function, abdominal recovery or exercise readiness.
Many women are told “It’s normal. or “Give it time.” or even “You’re cleared to return to exercise.”
Yet without assessing muscle coordination, tissue healing and load tolerance, clearance does not equal readiness.
Postpartum recovery is not binary — it is progressive. A woman may be medically stable but still require structured rehabilitation to prevent long-term dysfunction.
What Is Assessed in a Postnatal Pelvic Floor Review?
A comprehensive postnatal physiotherapy assessment may include:
Pelvic Floor Function
Evaluation of strength, endurance, relaxation, coordination and signs of prolapse.
This helps identify whether muscles are weak, overactive, poorly coordinated or fatigued.
Abdominal Separation (Diastasis Recti)
Assessment of abdominal wall integrity and functional strength, not just gap width.
Incontinence Screening
Evaluation of bladder and bowel symptoms, even mild leakage that may otherwise be dismissed.
Prolapse Screening
Assessment of symptoms such as heaviness or bulging.
Pelvic Girdle and Musculoskeletal Pain
Review of ongoing pain in the hips, pelvis, lower back or tailbone.
Return-to-Exercise Readiness
Discussion of current activity levels, goals and safe progression — especially for running, lifting or high-impact training. We dive deeper into this topic in our blog on Postnatal Returning to Running.
Why Early Assessment Improves Long-Term Outcomes
Research consistently shows that early pelvic floor rehabilitation improves recovery and reduces the likelihood of persistent symptoms.
When issues such as incontinence, prolapse or abdominal separation are addressed early:
Symptoms are often easier to manage
Confidence improves
Return to activity is smoother
Long-term dysfunction risk decreases
Waiting months or years often makes rehabilitation more complex, not less.
Who Should Book a Postnatal Assessment?
While women experiencing symptoms should absolutely seek support, even women who feel “fine” may benefit from assessment.
Subtle coordination deficits, breath-holding patterns or pressure management issues can exist without obvious symptoms — particularly before returning to higher loads or impact. Postnatal physiotherapy is not only for women with severe symptoms. It is part of preventative, proactive care.
When Should You See a Women’s Health Physiotherapist After Birth?
Most women can attend a postnatal assessment from around six weeks postpartum, provided there are no medical complications.
Earlier review may be appropriate if you are experiencing:
Significant leakage
Pelvic heaviness or bulging
Persistent pain
Difficulty emptying bladder or bowel
There is no upper time limit. Women can seek support months or even years after birth — it is never “too late.”
Rethinking Postpartum Care
The postpartum period is often focused entirely on the baby. Maternal recovery can quietly become secondary.
But pelvic floor health, abdominal recovery and musculoskeletal strength influence long-term wellbeing, confidence and participation in life and exercise.
A postnatal physiotherapy assessment is not an indulgence. It is informed, preventative care.
The Takeaway
Pregnancy and birth place significant demand on the pelvic floor and abdominal system. While many changes are common, they are not things you simply have to tolerate. A postnatal assessment with a women’s health physiotherapist provides clarity, reassurance and a structured path forward — helping you move confidently into motherhood and beyond.
Bub & Me prenatal and postnatal programs are now delivered through Together Strong Physio in Canberra, providing women with a seamless pathway from pregnancy and early postnatal recovery into safe, strength-focused physiotherapy and long-term exercise support.