Women's Health Physiotherapy Sydney
Pelvic Floor, Pregnancy and Postnatal Care
- Our physio services
- Funding options
ESSA
accredited provider
Google rating 5.0 stars
(verified 2026-08-11)
Medicare care plans,
NDIS, WorkCover and DVA accepted
Registered NDIS Provider
4-3LLM-2259
Things Women Are Told to Live With
Many women wait years before someone tells them physiotherapy can help. Below are the problems women’s health physio treats:
- Bladder leaks when coughing, sneezing, running or jumping (stress incontinence).
- Urgency that sends you to the toilet ten times a day.
- Pelvic organ prolapse: a heavy or dragging sensation in the pelvis or vagina.
- Pelvic pain during sex, with tampons, or at no specific time at all.
- Abdominal separation (diastasis recti) that stays months or years after pregnancy.
- Back and pelvic girdle pain during and after pregnancy.
- Perimenopause and menopause changes: dryness, discomfort, weakening pelvic support.
- Return to running, gym or sport after having a baby, without leaking or pain.
You do not need a referral to start. You do not need to know the name of the problem. That is the assessment.
How Many Australian Women Have Incontinence?
Almost 4 in 10 women in Australia experience incontinence, and 7 in 10 people with incontinence are younger than 65.
women in Australia experience incontinence
people with incontinence are under 65
Does Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Actually Work?
Yes. Supervised pelvic floor muscle training is a Grade A, first-line conservative therapy for female urinary incontinence, supported by NHMRC Level 1 evidence in Australia.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ HANDI guideline recommends that supervised pelvic floor muscle training be offered as the first treatment for women with stress, urge or mixed urinary incontinence. The most effective programs involve weekly professional supervision over at least three months, with individually tailored exercises. The evidence shows supervised programs produce better results than self-directed ones.
What that means for your program:
- Techniques taught and checked by a trained physiotherapist, not a printed sheet.
- A typical protocol: 8 to 12 repetitions of 6 to 8-second contractions, one to three times per day, in lying, sitting and standing positions.
- “The Knack”: bracing the pelvic floor before coughing, sneezing or lifting, learned once the basic contractions are correct.
- Benefits are most likely after at least 12 weeks of consistent practice and progress through the program.
Women's Health Physio Sydney: What We Treat.
iRehab provides women’s health physiotherapy across five areas:
Pelvic floor dysfunction
Incontinence, urgency, frequency and incomplete bladder emptying, treated without medication as the first approach.
Pelvic organ prolapse
Assessment, pessary fitting where indicated, and pelvic floor retraining to manage symptoms and slow progression.
Pelvic pain
Vaginismus, vulvodynia, dyspareunia (painful sex) and generalised pelvic pain, treated with manual therapy, pelvic floor down-training and education.
Pregnancy and postnatal
Safe exercise during pregnancy, perineal massage, birth preparation, c-section recovery, diastasis recti management, and postnatal return to sport and exercise.
Menopause and beyond
Pelvic floor changes, bladder symptoms, prolapse risk and safe exercise during and after menopause.
What Happens in a Pelvic Health Appointment?
The short answer: a detailed conversation, then a physical assessment that includes an internal vaginal examination only if you consent to it and only when it is clinically indicated.
- History in private. Your symptoms, medical and obstetric history, what you want to change.
- External assessment. Posture, movement patterns, breathing and abdominal wall check.
- Internal assessment, with consent. A single-gloved internal exam to assess pelvic floor muscle strength, endurance and coordination. This is the gold-standard method, but it is never done without your clear consent, and you can decline at any time.
- Your program. Written exercise plan, realistic timeline and education about your condition.
If you are not comfortable with an internal exam on the first visit, the program starts with external assessment and education. A trained women’s health physiotherapist knows how to put you at ease.
What Happens If You Do Not Want an Internal Examination?
The appointment goes ahead without one. An internal assessment is never a condition of being treated here.
This section exists because it is the single largest reason women delay booking, and a page about pelvic health that skirts it is not being useful.
Consent is ongoing, not a form you sign once. You can decline an internal assessment at the booking stage, at the start of the appointment, or partway through it. Declining does not end the session and does not change how you are treated afterwards.
What happens instead. External assessment, real-time ultrasound where it is available, breathing and abdominal wall assessment, and a program built from those findings. Many women start this way and choose an internal assessment at a later appointment once they know the practitioner. Others never do, and still get better.
How Should You Prepare for a Pelvic Health Appointment?
- Nothing special is required. You do not need to shave, and you do not need an empty or full bladder unless the clinic tells you otherwise when you book.
- Come at any point in your cycle. Being on your period does not require you to cancel. Tell the practitioner and the assessment adapts. Many women cancel unnecessarily over this.
- Bring a list of your symptoms and roughly when they started. Details that feel too small to mention are usually the useful ones.
- Note your obstetric history if you have one: number of births, delivery type, any tearing or instrumental delivery, and any complications.
- Bring your medication list, including anything for bladder symptoms, and any specialist letters or investigation results.
- Wear whatever you like. You will not be asked to change into a gown.
- Bring your baby if you need to. A postnatal appointment with a pram in the room is normal and no one minds.
After the Pelvic Floor: Strength, Sport and Long-Term Health
Women’s health physiotherapy fixes the pelvic floor. Exercise Physiology rebuilds everything around it. iRehab Exercise Physiologists work with women returning to running, lifting or team sport after pregnancy or pelvic surgery, building core strength and lower-body control in a structured, safe program.
| Phase | Profession |
|---|---|
| Pelvic floor, prolapse, pain | Women's health physiotherapist |
| Core, strength, return to sport | Exercise Physiologist |
| Ongoing pelvic health + fitness | Both |
How Long Before Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Starts Working?
Australian clinical guidance points to supervised programs of at least three months, with benefits most likely after around 12 weeks of consistent practice. Some women notice a change earlier; the three-month figure is what the evidence supports.
Assessment & Technique
Assessment, and learning to contract and release the pelvic floor correctly. This step matters more than it sounds. A meaningful proportion of women do the exercise incorrectly when working from written instructions alone, which is the reason the guideline specifies supervised training rather than a handout.
Building the Program
Building the program: repetitions, hold times and positions progress from lying to sitting to standing. "The Knack", bracing before a cough, sneeze or lift, is added once the basic contraction is reliable.
Loading Phase
Loading. The exercises move toward the activities that actually provoke symptoms, whether that is running, lifting a toddler or a gym session.
Reassessment
Reassessment. This is the point at which the guideline expects benefit to be evident, and the point at which the plan is reviewed rather than simply continued.
Maintenance
Most women move to a maintenance program. Pelvic floor strength behaves like any other muscle strength and reduces if training stops entirely.
Paying for Women's Health Physiotherapy
Medicare care plans
A GP Chronic Condition Management Plan provides up to 5 Medicare-subsidised allied health visits per calendar year for chronic conditions, and pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse and chronic pelvic pain all qualify.
NDIS
Women’s health physiotherapy may be funded under your NDIS plan.
Private
Private health extras commonly cover physiotherapy; check your fund. Self-funded sessions are also available.
Who You Will See for a Women's Health Appointment
Sophia Wehbe
Managing Director & Accredited Exercise Physiologist | BAppSc (Sport & Exercise Science) | Accredited ESSAM
Sophia Wehbe
Managing Director & Accredited Exercise Physiologist | BAppSc (Sport & Exercise Science) | Accredited ESSAM
Jay Daniels
Exercise Physiologist
Jay Daniels
Exercise Physiologist
Micqut Ngaata
Exercise and Sport Scientist
Micqut Ngaata
Exercise and Sport Scientist
Lucas Carling
Assistant Therapist
Lucas Carling
Assistant Therapist
What Clients Say About the Experience
Related Services at iRehab
- Exercise Physiology
- Mobile rehab
- Care plan physiotherapy
- WorkCover, CTP and DVA
- NDIS
- Falls prevention
- Women's health physiotherapy
- Telehealth
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Women's Health Physiotherapy Questions
A women’s health physiotherapist is a registered physiotherapist with additional training in pelvic floor, pregnancy, postnatal recovery, incontinence, prolapse and pelvic pain. They can assess the pelvic floor muscles internally, with your consent, which is something a general physiotherapist is not trained to do.
An overactive pelvic floor can result from stress, anxiety, holding patterns after childbirth, pelvic pain conditions such as endometriosis, or years of clenching without learning to relax. A women’s health physio teaches down-training: learning to release the pelvic floor, not just contract it.
Yes, and for urinary incontinence it is the recommended first treatment before medication or surgery. The RACGP’s clinical guidelines support supervised pelvic floor muscle training as an effective, low-risk treatment with no side effects when taught correctly.
A physiotherapy internal assessment is the primary diagnostic tool for pelvic floor muscle function. Urodynamic testing may be ordered by a specialist for complex bladder cases. Your physiotherapist will tell you if further investigation is needed.
Yes. Pelvic floor assessment and preparation, perineal massage instruction and safe exercise prescription are all part of antenatal care. Some women are assessed early in pregnancy, and all women benefit from preparing the pelvic floor for birth.
No. Pelvic floor symptoms can appear years after childbirth, particularly around menopause. Treatment is effective at any stage.
Book Women's Health Physiotherapy in Sydney
Call 02 9613 3751 or book online. No referral needed to start. Clinics in North Rocks and Five Dock, with home visits available.
iRehab North Rocks: 328-336 N Rocks Rd, North Rocks NSW 2151
iRehab Five Dock: 451 Lyons Rd W, Five Dock NSW 2046
Phone: 02 9613 3751 · Email: admin@irehab.com.au
Have questions or need assistance? Reach out to us directly. Our team is here to help. Simply fill out the form below, and we’ll respond promptly to address your enquiries or concerns.
- Last updated: September 10, 2026