Celebrate Muliebrity with Michelle Lyons

Today is World GO Day!World Gynae Oncology Day, in my world,  focuses on the importance of pelvic rehabilitation for women after gynecologic cancer treatment. In today’s episode, I’m  discussing how pelvic rehabilitation extends beyond simple pelvic floor exercises to address comprehensive physical and psychological needs, including pelvic pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, sexual health issues, and movement difficulties. 

I think there’s not enough emphasis on the fact that pelvic cancer treatment affects the whole person, not just the tumor, and I think we should use this opportunity to highlight the need for multimodal approaches that include exercise, manual therapy, and of course education about what’s happening, why it’s happening and the importance of consistent self-care. 
I’ve also introduced a new module on anal cancer rehabilitation in my online course, Female Pelvic Oncology Rehab!Female sexual dysfunction and bladder/ bone health issues after anal cancer treatment are common and often overlooked. 

My call to action is to urge us all as pelvic rehab providers to broaden our conversation with cancer survivors AND their medical, surgical and wider oncology teams, to include not just survival but quality of life, of course emphasizing that pelvic rehabilitation should be integrated into cancer care from the beginning, throughout the journey as our patients move from surviving pelvic cancer to thriving afterwards.

For more information on my Female Pelvic Oncology Rehab course, and all of my online courses, please visit CelebrateMuliebrity.com or send me a message about the coursework!

Biopsychosocial pelvic rehabilitation isn’t defined by the organ where the cancer originated, it’s defined by the person, the treatment they’ve received, and the functions they want to regain.
Surviving cancer matters. But living well after cancer matters too.

Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity 💚💝

Hello & Welcome to today’s episode! This is one for the pelvic health in sports medicine fans!
I’m interviewing Helen McKeever about pubic and inguinal pain in female athletes, based on Helen's chapter in Grainne Donnelly's book "Sports Medicine: The Pelvic Floor."
In this conversation, myself and Helen discuss the importance of considering multiple factors beyond just pelvic floor issues when treating groin pain, including musculoskeletal drivers, hypermobility, and REDs - encompassing reproductive, endocrine, digestive, and sleep factors.
We explored how pelvic floor physiotherapists should expand their assessment beyond mechanical issues to include questions about bladder and bowel function, menstrual cycles, and psychosocial factors.
Helen shared clinical insights about the anterior pubic ligament complex and the role of deep hip rotators in managing chronic groin pain.
The conversation highlights the need for collaborative approaches between pelvic health and sports medicine specialists, with Helen currently working at Aspetar in Doha where she sees female athletes presenting with complex pelvic and groin pain issues, as part of a multidisciplinary team approach.
We also talked about pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy, differential diagnosis and clinical reasoning for hip, pubic & groin pain, hypermobility and we discussed how pelvic floor physiotherapists should broaden their differential diagnosis beyond just pelvic floor issues, considering factors like motor control around the hip, deep rotators, and anterior-posterior tilt capabilities. Helen shared a case study of a tennis player where addressing both pelvic floor and musculoskeletal components was crucial for successful rehabilitation.
This was a rich conversation that I think really highlights the importance of pelvic health in sports medicine.
If you'd like to learn more, the textbook 'Sports Medicine & the Pelvic Floor' edited by Grainne Donnelly and of course, my online course 'The Menstrual Detective', includes access to 'Pelvic Health for the Young Female Athlete' as well.
You can find Helen and her research on ResearchGate and LinkedIn and you can follow my continuing adventures in women's health on instagram @michellelyons_muliebrity and all of my online courses can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Hello and welcome to today’s episode – a bit off the normal schedule as I was teaching my Endometriosis Pain Management course over the weekend and then I was asked to come on the Claire Byrne show on Newstalk Radio to discuss the recent decision by the Spanish FA to support egg freezing for their female footballers.
Understandably, it was a brief overview on the radio but of course…I have thoughts that need a bit longer to explore so I thought – why not do a podcast episode!
In today’s episode, I’m exploring:
Why, at last, we are acknowledging that female athletes have reproductive lives!
How this should prompt a broader conversation about supporting female athletes throughout their reproductive lives rather than just focusing on fertility preservation. I believe that female-specific health is fundamental to performance and outline the need for individualized, informed decision-making regarding pregnancy and postpartum participation in sport; good resources for this include FIFA's "Stay in Play" and "Stepping into Play" decision aids. 
I want to stress that supporting women requires addressing pelvic health, but also broader physical and psychological factors, and creating systems that allow athletes to make reproductive choices without compromising their sporting careers; advocating for an approach that recognizes women's physiological stages as integral rather than disruptive to athletic performance.
But it’s about physiology across the female lifespan, not just in elite sports. I believe that female athletes (actually all women!) should receive education about menstrual cycles, nutrition, fertility, and postpartum recovery, rather than being forced to choose between a sporting career and motherhood. I believe that supporting women's reproductive choices should be part of a broader conversation about creating an inclusive sporting environment that accommodates all women's life stages and decisions, from menstruation to menopause.
I really want to rephrase the question about women in sports from "can women have it all" to "what can we change about our systems so women don't have to choose." I believe there’s the need to create sporting environments that support women's health and bodies rather than requiring women to adapt to sports, a system that’s designed to support the needs of male athletes.
And of course…if you’d like to learn more about supporting female athletes, from recreational to high performance, at every age and stage…check out my online courses The Menstrual Detective, Pelvic Health for the Younger Female Athlete, Perinatal Pelvic Rehab (Preconception to Postpartum) and Flourish! The Menopausal Toolbox – all available at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity

hello & welcome!
Today’s episode of the Celebrate Muliebrity podcast focuses on moving beyond the IC diet when working with women who have bladder pain syndrome. 

When I started working in pelvic health, I used to find IC/ Bladder Pain Syndrome a really challenging diagnosis to work with so over the years, I’ve really been focused on integrating the latest evidence into clinical practice, from asking better questions to clinical reasoning and step by step treatment strategies.What the research says AND how to come up with a treatment plan for the woman in front of you

In today’s episode, I talk about the importance of adopting an individualised, evidence-based approach rather than prescriptive food restrictions, explaining that there is no single universally applicable IC diet.
 
I outline a four-step framework: observation to understand individual patterns, simplification through targeted and temporary elimination when appropriate, stabilisation of bladder, bowel, gut, and nervous system health, and gradual reintroduction to increase dietary variety. 

I want to stress that the ultimate goal should be food freedom rather than creating anxiety around restricted food lists, and I encourage clinicians to help patients become experts in their own bodies through pattern recognition and data tracking.

I also cover:
Moving beyond a one size fits all to a bespoke approach to bladder pain syndrome
Bladder Pain Syndrome mechanisms - why we have to look OUTSIDE the bladder
Integrating a gut/bowel/nervous system approach as a current best practice approach to nurture self efficacy and empowerment 
And more…

The IC/BPS updates are now available in the online Female Pelvic Pain Rehab course and come with clinical skills, shareable breath/bladder practices and a downloadable workbook for you to work through with the women you’re working with who are struggling with IC/BPS  - all of the course info is at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time!
Live, Flourish, Thrive! #celebratemuliebrity

Hello & welcome to today's episode where I'm going to explore our role as pelvic rehab clinicians when it comes to the management of EAP
I think an important question to consider is:
'What does a woman with endometriosis associated pain actually need from us, beyond medical/surgical treatment?'
(particularly when those approaches have not been effective in reducing her pain or increasing her quality of life)
I believe we absolutely need to understand the pathophysiology of endometriosis - but it is vital that we don't stop there!
The amount of pain someone experiences does not always correspond neatly to the stage, amount, size of location of her endometriosis lesions - two women can walk into your clinic and have very different pain experiences.
EAP can be complex - we need to understand nociceptive inputs from inflammation/ tissue pathology, neuropathic and visceral components, pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic overlapping pain conditions, as well as changes in central pain processing and nociplastic mechanisms.
Our job is to figure out - which mechanisms appear to be contributing in this woman right now - AND - how can we help her build capacity?
Asking her 'what would you like to be able to do that your pain is currently stopping you from doing?'
we are not necessarily trying to achieve zero pain but rather trying to increase capacity, confidence, participation, self-efficacy and quality of life
And that means a different rehab conversation, where we are asking better questions to get better outcomes
Questions about her pelvic floor, bowel, bladder, movement (and how to prescribe and dose it), sleep, stress, sexual health, breath, her pain management toolbox and how to talk about nervous system sensitivity....
I think a really key question for us to consider might be 'how can I help her increase her capacity to live well alongside a condition that will fluctuate?' - and what does that look like in clinical practice?
If you'd like to learn more, the Endometriosis module, as well as modules on IC/Bladder Pain Syndrome, Vulvodynia, Dyspareunia and more, have all gone through their 2026 update and are available now in my online course, Female Pelvic Pain Rehab course! (already enrolled? you have access!) All of the course info can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity