Is Abdominal Separation (Diastasis) Linked to Pelvic Floor Problems?
Answer:
Possibly, but the link is weak and the research is mixed. Some studies have found a small connection, others have found none.
During pregnancy, the two sides of your abdominal muscles stretch apart to make room for your baby. This is called abdominal separation, or diastasis. For many women the gap stays wider for a while after birth.
Your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor work together, so it’s natural to wonder if one affects the other. So far, the studies don’t agree.
What the research found
A few studies have looked at this. Some found women with a wider separation were a little more likely to leak or need to rush to the toilet. Others found no link at all.
So the size of your separation doesn’t tell you much about your pelvic floor. How your pelvic floor feels and works day to day tells you far more.
Sex after birth
Your pelvic floor muscles play a part in sex. They help with sensation and orgasm. Giving birth can also bring changes to your vagina, such as healing from a tear or stitches, scar tissue, or dryness from lower hormone levels. Any of these can make sex feel different or uncomfortable.
One recent study found that women with a wider separation below the belly button were more likely to have difficulties with sex. This could mean pain, less sensation, or less desire.
It was a small study, and an earlier review didn’t find the same link. Still, it was the strongest connection found in all the research on separation and the pelvic floor.
Changes to sex after birth are common, and support is available.
How you feel about your body
Separation isn’t only about muscles. Research shows it can affect how women feel about their bodies and their everyday quality of life, even when they have no pelvic floor symptoms at all.
In an Australian study, women with separation talked about changes in how their body looked and worked, and how this affected their confidence and intimacy. Many also felt their concerns weren’t taken seriously by health professionals.
Your feelings about your body after birth are real, and they deserve to be heard. For more on this, read our article Your abdomen after pregnancy. What nobody is telling you. – WHEN
What helps your pelvic floor
The good news is that the strongest evidence in this area is about something you can start at home, for free.
Pelvic floor exercises after birth build strength in your pelvic floor and reduce the chance of leaking. They can also improve sex, including arousal, orgasm, satisfaction and pain. Combining them with exercises for your core, hips and glutes adds to that strength.
Start by getting to know your own pelvic floor. Does it feel tight or tense? Weak, or hard to find? Do you notice heaviness, less sensation, or less control than before? Every pelvic floor is different after birth. Some women need to build strength, and others need to learn to relax muscles that are holding too much tension.
To do a pelvic floor squeeze, gently lift and squeeze the muscles you would use to stop passing wind and urine, hold for a few seconds, then fully let go. Relaxing completely is just as important as the squeeze.
Where to start
The good news is that the strongest evidence in this area is about something you can start at home, for free.
Pelvic floor exercises after birth build strength in your pelvic floor and reduce the chance of leaking. They can also improve sex, including arousal, orgasm, satisfaction and pain. Combining them with exercises for your core, hips and glutes adds to that strength.
Start by getting to know your own pelvic floor. Does it feel tight or tense? Weak, or hard to find? Do you notice heaviness, less sensation, or less control than before? Every pelvic floor is different after birth. Some women need to build strength, and others need to learn to relax muscles that are holding too much tension.
To do a pelvic floor squeeze, gently lift and squeeze the muscles you would use to stop passing wind and urine, hold for a few seconds, then fully let go. Relaxing completely is just as important as the squeeze.
References
Beamish, N.F., Davenport, M.H., Ali, M.U., Gervais, M.J., Sjwed, T.N., Bains, G., Sivak, A., Deering, R.E., & Ruchat, S.M. (2025). Impact of postpartum exercise on pelvic floor disorders and diastasis recti abdominis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(8), 562-575.
Fitzpatrick, S., Foley, K., Crittenden, T., Watson, D., & Dean, N. (2024). Australian women’s experiences of post-partum rectus diastasis: A qualitative study. Women’s Health, 20.
Fuentes Aparicio, L., Rejano-Campo, M., Donnelly, G.M., & Vicente-Campos, V. (2021). Self-reported symptoms in women with diastasis rectus abdominis: A systematic review. Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction, 50(7), 101995.
Hagovska, M., Dudic, R., Svihra, J., & Urdzik, P. (2024). Relationships of diastasis recti abdominis with stress urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle dysfunction in postpartum women. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, 301, 222-226.
Homsi Jorge, C., Bø, K., Berghmans, B., & Dumoulin, C. (2024). Pelvic floor muscle training for female sexual dysfunction: a systematic review. International Urogynecology Journal, 35, 275-296.
Kilian, C., Delgado, A., Goncalves, E.P.D.M., Kammers, I., Aguiar, N.W., Grams, G.B., Tonon da Luz, S.C., & Honorio, G.J.S. (2026). Inter-rectus distance and its relation to pelvic floor function in primiparous women in the remote postpartum period: A cross-sectional study. Women and Health, 66(2), 122-131.
Simpson, E., Hannington, M., Bo, K., & Hahne, A. (2026). Association between diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles and musculoskeletal conditions in the first 2 years postpartum: A cross-sectional study. Musculoskeletal Care, 24(1).
Walsh, S.J., Ashcroft, S.K., Starc, L.C., Thompson-Butel, A.G., Spathis, J.G., & Beetham, K.S. (2026). Lumbo-pelvic-hip complex strengthening with and without isolated pelvic floor muscle training for postpartum pelvic floor health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 29, 19-27.
Woodley, S.J., Lawrenson, P., Boyle, R., Cody, J.D., Morkved, S., Kernohan, A., & Hay-Smith, E.J.C. (2020). Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 5, CD007471.
Developed by the WHEN Clinical Team
Clinically reviewed by the WHEN Clinical Governance Committee
Last reviewed: 01/10/2026
With clinical input from Peta Titter, RN, Grad Cert Continence Nursing, Advanced Diploma of Pilates. Honours by Research (diastasis recti). PhD candidate, University of Tasmania. Founder and CEO, WHEN.
