When High Achievers Hit the Floor

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“Here’s the thing about privilege: it doesn't protect you from everything.” Welcome to healthcare gaslighting, where your pain is only as real as your test results. And for one high-flying finance bro, that realization hit like a sucker punch to the groin…literally.

🧠 When Mind-Body Stress Hits Below the Belt

What is the pelvic floor? Wait, men have them too? Why haven't we heard anything about pelvic floor therapy before?

Let me give you the “pelvic floor for dummies” TL;DR. quick version.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that control everything from bladder function to sexual performance to core stability. Every time you go to the bathroom or have sex, your pelvic floor is involved. So when your pelvic floor is having issues and not working properly, things can take a downward spiral quickly. What does that mean for you? No sex, pain while going to the bathroom, burning sensation while sitting down, and incontinence (uncontrollable peeing).

Sound fun? Oh and don’t forget to throw in some medical gaslighting and feeling dismissed. Sign me up! …just kidding, hell no.

So what causes your pelvic floor to go haywire? It can become too tight from prolonged sitting, tension in your body, and high stress. A tense pelvic floor is like trying to open your fist after keeping it clenched all day.

It can also become way too loose from traumatic injuries, major one being pregnancy for women, aging (thanks mother nature), and constipation (stretching your pelvic floor too far that it loses its shape).

Despite being common among many women and men, pelvic floor dysfunction has remained surrounded by stigma and shame. But as a recent Bloomberg article points out, this isn't just a "women's health issue" anymore. It's increasingly becoming a men's health issue too.

🤯 Why Your CEO Knows What a Pelvic Floor Is Now

So how did pelvic floor dysfunction among men become a hot topic for Bloomberg and the New York Times to write about?

I have a few theories:

First, modern work culture has changed from “employees should be lucky to be here” to “employee wellbeing is priority #1.” The amount of employee benefits available today is unreal compared to my parents’ generation. You got health, vision, dental insurance, maybe a 401(k) plan, and if you were lucky, a pension. Now, you get a whole buffet of benefits ranging from wellness perks to pet care.

Second, Gen Z-ers have a different attitude towards health and socially acceptable topics in the workplace. They grew up with social media already available and seeing people share not just the glamorized version of their lives, but also the raw, uncomfortable and often taboo subjects like mental health. I find the openness and vulnerability to talk about their health issues very refreshing. We need more of that.

Third, medical innovation and unwavering persistence for better health solutions (thank you all the scientists, providers, and health entrepreneurs for doing the hard work behind the scenes). Curiosity, proposing alternative care options to the current ways of doing things, and being solution-oriented has led to so much progress from the time my parents first started practicing medicine.

All three of these factors have made it possible to discuss awkward, painful health issues publicly. I won’t go so far as to say the stigma is gone -- actually very far from it, due to the anonymity of the men interviewed in the Bloomberg article. But the small yet meaningful change in mindset of “I have to just deal with it” to “maybe there is a better way, and I can make it better for others,” is why the topic of pelvic floor issues is in mainstream media right now.

What really caught my attention in reading this article was the way men experience stigma around pelvic floor dysfunction differently than women. Generally for men, the shame comes from fear of judgment by peers, especially male coworkers. For women, it stems from medical gaslighting and the social perception that women's health issues are either taboo or "all in their heads."

🤐 Why Male Pain Breaks the Silence

But some men, like Landon, are now experiencing both. As a 26-year-old finance hotshot on Wall Street, Landon was at the top of his game. Then his demanding, high-stress job triggered debilitating groin pain that felt like "burning with sharp jolts," making it impossible to sit through meetings. Everything was tight in all the wrong ways, and worst of all, sex became too painful to endure.

What was Landon to do? Talking to coworkers was out of the question. Taking medical leave? Not something he wanted to discuss with HR. So off to the doctor he went, expecting reassurance and compassion.

Instead, Landon was dismissed repeatedly by several doctors who looked at his normal test results and saw nothing wrong. Even when he finally broke down in tears, one doctor delivered the ultimate gut punch: "Because you're a guy..." then walked out.

Translation? “Guys don’t feel this kind of pain. Man up.”

Sound familiar? (All the women in the room raising their hands)

💥 When Suffering Levels the Playing Field

Women have been fighting this battle for decades. They've been told their chronic pain is "all in their head" or dismissed as drama queens seeking attention. The medical system has perfected the art of prioritizing what can be measured over what's actually experienced.

Landon and other men like him are now experiencing what it's like to seek medical care in a world where most people don't believe you. It sucks. You feel helpless, like you just have to "deal" with the pain.

It's an experience I would never wish upon anyone. The only silver lining? Men are finally understanding what women experience on a daily basis.

But that shouldn't be what it takes.

🗺 Invisible Doesn’t Mean Untreatable

Why should you care?

Well for one, everyone has a pelvic floor, and the causes behind pelvic floor dysfunction are things we all experience quite often – stress, prolonged sitting, and pregnancy (okay, okay just women on this one, lucky us…)

Whether you're a woman who constantly feels like you have to pee, or a successful finance guy with searing pain, your suffering should be acknowledged and addressed. "Invisible pain" like pelvic floor dysfunction sucks and even hurts more because people can’t “see” what you’re experiencing.

The more we study, the more we realize how much we've overlooked.

Also, most importantly, we can find treatments to get rid of all the pain and discomfort.

As for pelvic floor therapy, it already exists! There is a solution available, just not widely known. This article and other recent ones on this topic are critical for democratizing knowledge on what pelvic floor issues are, where you can find doctors that actually believe you, and treatment that makes you feel whole again.

🚪 From Whispers to Healthcare Reform

Pain is real, even when it's invisible. Especially when it's invisible.

This shared experience of pelvic floor dysfunction between men and women offers us something powerful: a chance to build a healthcare system that serves everyone with compassion and respect. Because at the end of the day, suffering doesn't discriminate. But our response to it absolutely does.

And it's time we changed that.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is not a dirty phrase. So we should stop treating it like one