San Diego could soon launch a pilot program for postpartum pelvic floor care
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego could soon be launching a countywide pilot program to help postpartum patients recover from giving birth with pelvic floor and core conditioning under a new state bill.
Assembly Bill 2756, introduced by Asm. Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas), would allow the county to create the three-year pilot program, which would offer group classes specifically designed to help postpartum patients recover.
Under the bill, the classes would be offered to those in the six-to-12-week postpartum window twice a week starting in 2026. They would focus on physical therapy exercises designed to prevent and treat pelvic floor dysfunction, a condition that occurs in one in three people after childbirth.
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According to the National Library of Medicine, the condition refers to a “broad constellation” of symptoms and changes to pelvic floor musculature functions. These symptoms span urologic, gynecologic and colorectal systems, causing things like pelvic pain, pain with sexual intercourse, vaginal prolapse, difficulty urinating or constipation among other things.
One study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that roughly 10% of the millions of people who give birth every year experience severe pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, requiring some of them to receive surgery annually.
“Many people are suffering in silence or are unaware of the physical changes to their bodies after childbirth,” Boerner said in a statement. “A weak pelvic floor can lead to many physical complications if left untreated.”
Pelvic floor and core conditioning can help ease or reverse some of these symptoms. Across California, Scripps Health in San Diego is one of a handful of healthcare systems already offering this to pregnant patients as part of their care after giving birth, Boerner’s office said.
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“We have programs to support parents before they give birth, and we should have programs to support them postpartum,” she continued. “Pelvic floor physical therapy should be the standard of care.”
The bill passed through the Assembly on Friday with a 73 to 7 vote and is now headed to the State Senate for further consideration.
Should it be signed into law, county leaders will be able to determine which providers would be authorized to participate in the pilot program, which would run from Jan. 1, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2029.
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