Do men have a pelvic floor? Male pelvic floor anatomy

This page is the anatomy: what a man's pelvic floor is made of, what it holds up and what it does. It's written in plain words, with a source for each fact. For how to train it, see our guide to Kegel exercises for men.

Do men have a pelvic floor?

Yes. Every pelvis has a floor of muscle. One anatomy reference describes the pelvic floor as "a musculofascial complex forming the inferior boundary of the pelvis", made mainly of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles.³ In other words, muscle and connective tissue that close off the bottom of your pelvis.

Men's and women's pelvic floors are built from the same main muscles. The differences are in what passes through them and what sits on top, which the table further down sets out.^2,4

So where does the idea that it's a women's thing come from? Partly from history. Arnold Kegel, the American gynaecologist the exercise is named after, developed it for women with urinary incontinence, and first described it in 1948.^5,6 But the muscles it trains are not only female anatomy. Men have a pelvic floor too.

Where the male pelvic floor is

It runs from your pubic bone at the front of your pelvis to your tailbone (coccyx) at the back.¹ The bladder and the prostate sit on top of it at the front, and the rectum at the back. The urethra and the anus pass through it.²

You can't see it from outside. The skin between your scrotum and your anus is the perineum, and anatomists place the perineum below the pelvic diaphragm, their name for the deep layer of levator ani and coccygeus.⁴ In the middle of the perineum is the perineal body, a small knot of muscle and fibrous tissue between the anus and the bulb of the penis where several of these muscles attach.⁷

The male pelvic floor muscles, layer by layer

Anatomy references split the region into a deep layer, a thin middle space and an outer layer.^4,8

When people say "PC muscle", they usually mean the deep layer, or the whole pelvic floor. Our guide to the PC muscle has a labelled view of the deep layer from above.

What the pelvic floor supports

Its first job is holding things up. One review lists the organs the pelvic floor supports, and in men that means the bladder, the urethra, the prostate, the anus and the rectum, "along with the general support of the intra-abdominal contents".² Another describes the levator ani as a "funnel-shaped" structure that "supports and raises the pelvic floor".⁹

The same sources describe more than support. In one reference's words, the pelvic floor "supports pelvic viscera, maintains continence, facilitates defecation and micturition, and contributes to respiration and lumbopelvic stability".³ In plain words: it holds up your pelvic organs, helps you stay continent, lets go so you can empty your bowels and pee, and has a part in breathing and in keeping your lower back and pelvis steady.

Bladder control

Bladder control needs the muscles to hold on and to let go at the right times.

Holding on is the job of the external urethral sphincter, in the middle space. "When these muscles contract, the urethra narrows, and urination stops or slows", and the sphincter is described as critical for staying continent.¹⁰ Letting go matters just as much: the pelvic floor has to relax so you can pee, which is what "facilitates micturition" means.³

That's also why one NHS physiotherapy leaflet says not to practise stopping the flow of urine midstream, "as this may interfere with the normal process of emptying your bladder".¹

This section describes anatomy. It isn't a promise about what training does for bladder control. If you have new or changing urinary symptoms, like a weak stream, straining, peeing more often or at night, or new leaks, see a doctor before starting pelvic-floor training.¹²

Bowel control

At the back, the puborectalis wraps like a sling around the point where the rectum meets the anal canal. When it contracts, it sharpens the angle there, and one review calls it "a primary contributor to fecal continence", the medical term for bowel control.² The external anal sphincter forms the outer layer at the back.²

As with the bladder, the muscles also have to let go when you open your bowels.³ A pelvic floor that holds on when it should relax is one of the problems covered further down.

Sexual function

Men have a pelvic floor too. Two of its muscles sit at the base of the penis: squeezing them raises the pressure inside an erect penis, and they contract in rhythm during ejaculation. Erections start with blood flow, not with these muscles.^13,14,15

Those two are the bulbospongiosus and the ischiocavernosus in the outer layer, which make up the root of the penis with its erectile tissue.¹¹ The NHS leaflet lists sexual function among the jobs of the male pelvic floor, alongside bladder control, bowel control, stabilising the pelvis and supporting the pelvic organs.¹

Pelvic-floor training has been studied for erection problems. The trials were small, mostly supervised clinic programmes with biofeedback, and their results were mixed. No guideline recommends training for erection problems, so treat it as one tool alongside a check-up with your doctor.^16,17,18 Our guide to whether Kegels work for men goes through the studies.

Breathing and stability

Two smaller jobs turn up in the sources. The NHS leaflet says the pelvic floor "stabilises the pelvis".¹ An anatomy review says it "contributes to respiration and lumbopelvic stability", which means breathing and the steadiness of your lower back and pelvis.³ We don't go further than that on this page. For how breath and the pelvic floor fit into training, see breathing and your pelvic floor.

Male vs female pelvic floor

Sources for the table: the levator ani and its openings, and the organs supported,² the deep perineal space,⁴ and the perineal body.⁷ One anatomy review adds that pelvic floors vary with age, sex and body build.³

So is there a male version of Kegels? Kegels are the male version. Men and women do the same squeeze and release. What changes is how a man can check it: you should be able to see the base of your penis move nearer to your abdomen and your testicles rise.¹⁶

How to feel your own pelvic floor

The NHS leaflet's cue is a good place to start: "tighten your back passage as if you're trying to stop yourself passing wind".¹ You should feel a small grip draw up and in, between your scrotum and your anus. Keep breathing, and keep your belly and buttocks soft. Then let it go completely.

That's the whole skill at its simplest. Our guide to finding your pelvic floor adds three checks and a 20-second first try, and the free Kegel timer counts a short session for you, out loud.

When the pelvic floor isn't working well

Doctors describe pelvic floor problems in three ways: muscles that are too active (hypertonic), not active enough (hypotonic), or poorly coordinated.²

Pelvic-floor strengthening isn't right for everyone. If you have pain in your pelvis, genitals, perineum or bottom, pain when you ejaculate or pee, or trouble starting to pee, your pelvic floor may be too tense rather than too weak, or something else may be going on. Guidelines advise against Kegel-style strengthening for pelvic pain with a tender pelvic floor. Stop, see a doctor, and ask about a pelvic-floor physiotherapist.^19,20,21

Our guide to a tight or hypertonic pelvic floor in men covers the signs, and what to do first.

When to stop

See a doctor before you train if

• You have new or changing urinary symptoms, like a weak stream, straining, peeing more often or at night, or new leaks. See a doctor before starting pelvic-floor training.¹²
• You have had prostate or pelvic surgery or radiotherapy. Follow your care team's plan first. GoBeast isn't designed for recovery after surgery.²²
• There is blood in your pee. Ask for an urgent doctor's appointment.²³
• You can't pee at all. Get urgent medical help today.¹²
• You have erection problems that keep happening, or no erections at all, including on waking. See a doctor. Erection problems that keep happening can be an early sign of heart or blood-vessel problems, and that matters even if you're young.^24,18

How GoBeast helps

GoBeast is a voice-guided Kegel trainer for men. It turns the anatomy on this page into short sessions you can follow with your eyes closed.

• A free plan that starts with finding the muscle, using the cues above, before you pay anything.
• Ten Kegel levels that train both halves of the move: the squeeze, and the release.
• A relaxation set at the end of every session, and a relax-first path if you report pain.
• Stamina and Confidence lessons, where every health statement links to its source.

Questions