Pelvic Health: From Niche to Norm… to Non-Negotiable

As we close out 2025, I'm reflecting on a question that has driven us since day one: How can we ensure that pelvic floor physical therapy is accepted as the standard of care?

The research shows that it should be the first-line treatment for dozens of women’s health issues, from postpartum recovery to incontinence and so much more.

Pelvic floor therapy, for all stages of life. 

Whether someone is experiencing incontinence, pelvic pain, pain with sex, menopause symptoms, or recovering from surgery, pelvic floor therapy offers effective, non-invasive treatment that improves both physical and mental health outcomes.

This is the answer so many women have been searching for. Not jumping straight to surgery or (most commonly) just “living with it.” The benefits of pelvic floor therapy are real, evidence-based, and life-changing, and more patients are discovering this every day.

The data tell us why this matters: bladder and bowel symptoms impact 1 in 2 women 18-59, and sex-related symptoms impact 1 in 3. Yet 33% of women aren't sure what 'normal' is when it comes to pelvic health, and 30% aren't sure if anything can meaningfully help.

But pelvic floor therapy can help, and should be the first stop for most women with these incredibly common conditions.

Pelvic floor specialists are also uniquely equipped to treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions beyond the pelvic floor. Whether it's frozen shoulder during menopause, hip pain after childbirth, or chronic neck and back pain (which affect women at 50% higher rates than men), pelvic floor therapists are trained to understand hormonal shifts, anatomical differences, and biomechanical patterns influence pain and function throughout the entire body. 

At Origin, we see specialized pelvic and musculoskeletal care transform lives every single day. With hundreds of thousands of visits, we’ve helped patients reclaim their health, their confidence, and their quality of life.

The good news: Pelvic health is finally in the spotlight

We've been part of building toward this new standard since 2020, and the shift we’ve seen is undeniable.

Searches for "pelvic floor" have increased 488% in the past ten years. There are hundreds of TikTok influencers sharing education about pelvic health. It made the news in WIRED Magazine (WIRED of all places!), and even male pelvic health is having a moment, from the New York Times to National Geographic.

And one of the signals I’m personally most excited about is that doctors are now on board – our team at Origin is now partnering with over 5,000 doctors around the country to support their patients, up from 1,500 a year ago. Major health systems like Kaiser Permanente, Advantia Health, Providence, UCSF, Baylor Scott & White, Kelsey Seybold, and The Woman's Hospital of Texas are recognizing the critical need for pelvic floor care and partnering with us to support their patients through and pelvic floor dysfunction and navigating critical life stages like pregnancy, postpartum, menopause.  I compare this to my experience struggling with pelvic pain in my 20s, and I was never referred to a pelvic floor therapist. We’ve come such a long way.

There's been amazing growth in awareness and access, and we're working to turn this moment into a lasting movement.

So awareness is booming. But what will actually make this the standard?

The need is clear, and the conversation is out of the shadows. So now what?

One of the biggest reasons pelvic floor therapy is not yet the standard of care is that there are not enough licensed, expert PTs and PTAs who take insurance to meet the growing demand. 

As we look to the future, we are working on three big shifts to ensure care is accessible, ubiquitous, and effective for all patients.

1. We need far more published research - Like many aspects of women’s health, pelvic health and women’s musculoskeletal health is understudied and underfunded. The result is a wild west in which patients are being marketed a kegel trainer and an app, or health coaching, and being told it’s pelvic floor therapy. 

I am all for consumer choice and there is definitely a time and place for digital interventions – but many, many patients still need 1-1 care from a licensed, expert clinician. Given the hundreds of thousands of patient interactions we’ve supported at Origin, we’re excited to contribute to the growing body of research about the value of clinical care, whether that’s in person or virtual. 

2. Insurance coverage must expand - One of the most common questions we hear is: Is pelvic floor therapy covered by insurance? The answer is yes, and this is critical to making care accessible. At Origin, 96% of our patients use insurance, with most paying less than $25 per visit. Effective pelvic floor treatment shouldn't be out of reach when we  know the impact it provides. 

That said, not all insurance companies are covering pelvic floor therapy, and many who do are paying well below what is required to deliver high quality care. We are excited to continue to partner with insurance companies across the country to ensure sustainable access. 

3. Training and supporting pelvic floor therapists - We need more licensed pelvic floor therapists, full stop. And to get there, this requires systemic shifts from more education in PT schools, more affordable (and better!) training out of school, and more tools to prevent burnout. 

We’re excited to be partnering with 51 universities around the country to give PT students access to high-quality clinical rotations and have built the most supportive, hands-on training program in the industry. The burnout challenge is real, and while we don’t have all the answers, we’re investing in better technology and custom AI tools for our staff to minimize the “work around the work.”  Right now, our efforts in training and development are focused on our team, and we look forward to a future in which we can increase access to this to folks outside Origin as well. 

These shifts won’t happen overnight, but we are here for the long game. 

Our first five years moved pelvic floor therapy from niche to norm. Our next five years move it from norm to non-negotiable. 

We're honored to do this work, and we're grateful you're here with us. Onwards! 

- Carine