Celebrate Muliebrity with Michelle Lyons

Hello & Welcome to Today's Episode about all things Female Athlete with my friend and colleague, Ros Cooke. I had the pleasure of seeing Ros present on this topic at the POGP conference in Edinburgh last October.
In today's episode, we discussed
pelvic health in sports
the 6Rs framework for postpartum athletes and its application to broader pelvic health considerations. (Donnelly et al 2022 Reframing return-to-sport postpartum: the 6 Rs framework)
we also explored how pelvic floor dysfunction can contribute to groin pain in athletes and emphasized the importance of integrating pelvic health into mainstream sports medicine practice.
The conversation also covered ACL injury prevention in female athletes, with Ros highlighting that while hormonal factors may play a role, they are just one aspect among many including biomechanics, training environment, and overall athlete resilience.
We both agreed that successful injury prevention programs need to be purposeful, meaningful, and integrated across all aspects of an athlete's training and lifestyle, with pelvic health being an essential component of this holistic approach.

I love needing out with clever people at this intersection of hormonal, pelvic & musculoskeletal health - and I think Ros is doing amazing things in this space to improve education, awareness and outcomes - you can find her on instagram @rosralph - you can find my continuing adventures in women's health there too @michellelyons_muliebrity
And...if you'd like to learn more about menstrual health AND pelvic health for young female athletes - you might enjoy my latest online course, 'The Menstrual Detective' and you'll get the mini course 'Pelvic Health for the Younger Female Athlete' FOR FREE!!! all the details can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx

Hello & Welcome to today's episode, where I'm chatting with Dr Melissa Davidson about prolapse, avulsions and pessaries!
My guest today is a specialist physiotherapist in pelvic health, and we discussed her career journey, including her specialization in pelvic health in New Zealand, where she is the only registered specialist. She highlighted her expertise in advanced clinical practice, research, and leadership within the profession. Melissa also shared her experience conducting research in bioengineering at Auckland University, which revealed that physiotherapists' assessments of muscle tone and stiffness lack objective measurement methods, challenging traditional practices in the field...
We discussed the importance of evidence-based practice in pelvic health physiotherapy, particularly regarding prolapse and pain management. Melissa shared her experience conducting a PhD in bioengineering, which challenged many accepted beliefs in physiotherapy and highlighted the need to think outside traditional silos.
Melissa shared her experience developing and using a 3D model named Lily for patient education, discovering its effectiveness in helping patients understand complex medical concepts. She discussed her collaboration with bioengineers, noting that while the engineers were initially skeptical about her approach, they eventually recognized the value of her clinical perspective
We explored the diagnosis of levator avulsion and emphasized that a definitive diagnosis should not be made before 6-12 months postpartum, and we highlighted the importance of careful wording when communicating with patients about this condition, as the diagnosis can be devastating and there is currently no surgical fix.
Melissa discussed her approach to pessary management and training for physiotherapists, emphasizing the importance of medical clearance and speculum exams for assessing mucosal integrity. She explained the assessment process for avulsion injuries, including the use of a training model and peer-to-peer learning. Melissa also highlighted the need for informed decision-making during pregnancy regarding delivery options, advocating for patient autonomy and open discussions about birth plans.
We definitely agreed on the importance of using validated research and scientific terminology, rather than relying on subjective assessments or unproven treatments.
This was definitely a deep and rich conversation, that I really enjoyed...and I hope you will too!
Want to learn more about prolapse and other perinatal pelvic health issues, from a whole woman, evidence based, clinical reasoning from assessment to management perspective? And do it all online, with evergreen access to the course AND a private fb support group? Look no further! My new online course, Perinatal Pelvic Rehab, has you covered, from preconception through pregnancy to postpartum (including what we need to be aware of when someone is postnatal AND perimenopausal! - if you work with perinatal women aged 35+, you need to know this!). Visit CelebrateMuliebrity.com for all the course info!
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx

Hello & Welcome to the Podcast!
Today's episode is brought to you by my online course 'The Menstrual Detective' which also includes 'Pelvic Health for the Young Female Athlete'
This could be my favourite episode of 2026 (and yes, I know it's very early in the year to call it - but this chat is THAT GOOD!)
Today I'm delighted to chat with Dr Jenny LaCross and Dr Laurel Proulx about their super paper that appeared in the Autumn issue of the POGP, called 'Exploring the connection between the hip and pelvic floor in women with exercise-induced urinary incontinence: integrating clinical hypotheses with current evidence'
In this episode, we explore:
the relationship between the hip and the pelvic floor (what is actually happening - this may surprise you...)
exercise induced incontinence, especially in nulliparous athletes
the other variables we have to consider, including REDs and Hypermobility
the Pudendal nerve and its role in SUI

and much much more!! These researchers are creating conversations that are literally changing how we think about pelvic health - I can't wait to see where they go to next!
You can find Jenny on instagram as @jenn.lacross and Laurel is there too as @dr.laurelproulx - and of course you can follow my continuing adventures in women's health there too @michellelyons_muliebrity
If you'd like to learn more about how menstrual health and hormonal health and incontinence all intertwine, particularly for our younger female clients...then check out my online course, The Menstrual Detective, which includes the course Pelvic Health for the Young Female Athlete - all of the details for all of the courses can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com.
Until next time,
Onwards & Upwards! Mx
(and don't forget to #celebratemuliebrity!)

Hello & Welcome to today's conversation where I'm continuing the GLP1 conversation - this time I'm exploring the role of these meds in managing inflammation, MCAS, POTS, ME/CFS and the intersection of all of this with menopause and ageing.
I first got interested in this topic when I was creating my new online menopause course (Flourish! The Menopausal Toolbox) and I took a deep dive into inflammaging and menopause and nutrition, movement, stress management & lifestyle approaches (as well as pelvic rehab, obvs!)
I did a post on social media and Jessica responded and...here we are! Jessica has been in this space for a long time and brings a really interesting perspective and of course the evidence to support it too!
You can find her on social media as @jessrdrummond and of course at The Integrative Women's Health Institute
Want to learn more about this? There's a whole module on inflammaging in my online menopause course, including the research on GLP1 meds at menopause - along with other modules on musculoskeletal, metabolic and of course on pelvic health too!
All of the details (of ALL my online women's health courses) are at CelebrateMuliebrity.com or follow my continuing adventures in women's health on instagram @michellelyons_muliebrity
Until next time,
Onwards & Upwards! Mx
and don't forget to #celebratemuliebrity

Hello & Welcome to 2026 and the 100th episode of the podcast!! I'm excited and grateful to have reached this milestone and for all of the great conversations I've had with brilliant and clever clinicians and researchers - and I have some very exciting episodes coming up, with topics including prolapse, periods, female athletes, urinary incontinence, lumbopelvic pain and more!
Today, its all about GLP1 meds & what we need to consider when it comes to women's health from weight loss, inflammation, musculoskeletal and pelvic health and the particular implications for menopause as well
It is an exciting time to be working in women's health - how we can play a role in women's health & wellness & longevity, incorporating pelvic health as a strong foundation we can build on (and if you're NOT excited about working in women's health...you might be doing it wrong - but I've got a course for that - problem solved, just visit CelebrateMuliebrity.com )
I hope you'll consider joining me, either for the full Flourish! Menopausal Toolbox, where we deeply discuss the intersection of menopause, ageing & inflammation or with Pelvic Floor University for my class with them this Friday - you can join me live (and ask questions!) or access the recording afterwards
do let me know if YOU have a specific women's health topic you'd like me to cover on the podcast - you know me, any excuse to nerd out!! (bonus points if it includes constipation ;)
I hope you have a happy and healthy 2026 - I'm excited to continue the women's health evidence based conversation, both in all of my online courses, at upcoming live events and of course here on the podcast
See you next time
Onwards & Upwards! Mx
(and don't forget to celebrate muliebrity!)