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This section is for women trying to make sense of what has changed in their body after birth, and who are not sure who to ask. The gap along the midline of the abdomen, the urine that escapes when you cough, when it is reasonable to go back to sport: each of these is set out here in plain language. These subjects can be difficult to raise, yet all of them are common and for most of them something can be done.
Every page rests on international guidelines and on studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and each one lists its sources in full at the end. Diagnosis and medical assessment belong to the physician. Physiotherapy follows that assessment.
Symptoms are named plainly on these pages rather than hinted at. Urinary incontinence is called urinary incontinence; wind and faecal incontinence, pain during intercourse and a sensation of heaviness are each written with their own name. Nothing here is framed as something you failed to prevent.
An internal examination is not a routine part of assessment. If one is going to be carried out it is explained beforehand and verbal consent is asked for, it is not done if you do not want it, and assessment is possible through external observation and functional testing instead. Consultations are one to one with a woman physiotherapist and can be held in Turkish or in English.
Guide pages
What is the pelvic floor?
What the pelvic floor does, how pregnancy and birth load it, the limits of Kegel work, and how the assessment runs with consent.
Read →Exercise in pregnancy
The weekly activity recommendation, the conditions in which exercise is not appropriate, the warning signs that mean stopping, and where pelvic floor work fits.
Read →Separation of the abdominal muscles
How the gap is measured in diastasis recti, what the threshold means, where exercise sits in the evidence, and why closing the gap is not the aim.
Read →Urinary incontinence after birth
The types of leaking, what happens over time, why Kegel work may not have helped, and the split the evidence makes between prevention and treatment.
Read →Returning to exercise and running
Why there is no single date for returning to movement after birth, where the twelve-week figure for running comes from, and what criterion-based assessment means.
Read →How to use this guide
If you can feel a separation down the middle of your abdomen after birth, abdominal separation (diastasis recti) explains how it is measured, what the threshold actually means, and what the evidence does and does not show about exercise. If you leak urine when you cough, sneeze or exercise, postpartum urinary incontinence sets out the types, how the problem behaves over time, and why Kegel exercises may not have worked.
For the timing of a return to sport and movement, see returning to exercise after birth; for safe movement during pregnancy, exercise during pregnancy. If you want to understand what the pelvic floor does in the first place, and how an assessment is conducted, what the pelvic floor is is the place to start.
Detailed content on scoliosis in children and adolescents is in the Scoliosis Guide. Directions, opening hours and appointments are on the contact page: the practice is in Bornova / Evka 3, one metro stop from the Ege University campus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is any of this something to be embarrassed about?
No. Postpartum urinary incontinence and abdominal separation are both common. Common does not mean they must be accepted as permanent; both can be assessed and in most cases worked on.
Do these pages replace a diagnosis?
No. They are written to inform. Diagnosis, examination and any imaging are carried out by a physician; physiotherapy is planned after that assessment.
Is an internal examination required?
No. Assessment begins with history taking and continues with observation and functional testing, and all of that is possible without an internal examination. If one is going to be carried out it is explained first, verbal consent is asked for, and it is not done if you do not want it. The assessment can be stopped at any point.
Who will I see?
Consultations are one to one with a woman physiotherapist, by appointment, and the first assessment lasts 60 minutes. They can be held in Turkish or in English.
Who writes this content?
The content is prepared on behalf of Hüma Bosnalı Bilibay, Specialist Physiotherapist, drawing on international guidelines and peer-reviewed studies, and is reviewed by her before publication.
References
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: ACOG Committee Opinion, Number 804." Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2020;135(4):e178-e188.
- Woodley SJ, Boyle R, Cody JD, Mørkved S, Hay-Smith EJC. "Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020;(5):CD007471.
- Capoccia Giovannini S, Hoffmann H, Bracale U et al. "Non-operative management of postpartum diastasis recti: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials." Hernia, 2026;30(1):164.
Let's meet first
A free 15-minute introductory call answers your questions; if it is appropriate, a detailed 60-minute assessment is then scheduled.
The practice is in Bornova / Evka 3, in the Erzene neighbourhood. Evka 3 metro station is within walking distance and the Ege University campus is nearby. Directions, opening hours and appointment details are on the contact page.
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