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If you're dealing with bladder leakage, pelvic pain, heaviness, or changes after pregnancy or surgery, you're not alone. These are common conditions, and they respond well to the right treatment.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is recommended internationally as the first-line treatment for urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. It is effective, non-surgical, and in many cases resolves symptoms without the need for further intervention.
At Eastside Physio + Co in Surrey Hills, our women's health physiotherapist Claire McGillivray holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Physiotherapy (Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy) from the University of Melbourne. She has completed over 2,000 women's health appointments and is trained to assess, treat and manage conditions across every stage of a woman's life.
What Happens in Your First Appointment
Your first women's health appointment is 60 minutes. Here's what to expect.
We listen first
Your physio will ask about your symptoms, your history, and what's bothering you most. There is no rush. This is your time to explain what's going on in your own words.
A physical assessment
This may include an internal pelvic floor examination, which gives the most accurate picture of your pelvic floor function: whether it's weak, overactive, or not coordinating well. Internal assessments are a routine part of women's health physiotherapy, but they are never compulsory. Everything is discussed with you first, and you are always in control of what happens.
A clear plan
You'll leave with a diagnosis, an understanding of what's contributing to your symptoms, and a specific treatment plan. This typically includes pelvic floor exercises tailored to your body, along with any hands-on treatment or lifestyle strategies that are relevant.
Follow-up appointments are 30 minutes and are spaced to match your progress.
Treatment and Exercise Under One Roof
Your women's health physio manages your assessment and treatment plan. Our clinical Pilates team delivers antenatal, postnatal and pelvic health exercise classes onsite in Surrey Hills, guided by your physio's findings. That means your exercise program is built around what's actually going on with your pelvic floor, not a generic class template.
This matters because a pelvic floor that's overactive needs a completely different exercise approach to one that's weak. Getting that wrong can make symptoms worse. Having your treating physio and your exercise team in the same clinic removes that risk.
If your condition also involves musculoskeletal pain like back pain during pregnancy, hip pain postpartum, or chronic pain alongside your pelvic symptoms, our broader physiotherapy team works alongside your women's health physio to address those issues without you needing to go anywhere else. We also see patients from Camberwell, Canterbury, Box Hill, Balwyn and Mont Albert.
Learn more about our Clinical Pilates and Antenatal Pilates classes
What We Treat
Pelvic floor screening during pregnancy. Postnatal check at 6 and 12 weeks. Abdominal separation (DRAM). Caesarean and perineal scar management. Safe return to exercise.
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Our women's health physios are trained to assess, fit and manage pessaries for prolapse.
Leakage when you cough, sneeze or exercise. Urgency and frequency. Difficulty emptying. Bladder or bowel incontinence at any age.
Feelings of heaviness, dragging or bulging in the vagina. Prolapse of the bladder, uterus or bowel. Pessary fitting and management.
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Pain during sex, tampon use, or daily activities. Vulvodynia. Vaginismus. Endometriosis-related pelvic pain. Overactive pelvic floor.
About Claire
Claire McGillivray is a Senior Women's Health Physiotherapist at Eastside Physio + Co in Surrey Hills with over 2,000 women's health appointments completed. She holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Physiotherapy (Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy) from the University of Melbourne and is trained in pessary assessment and fitting.
Claire has a particular interest in pelvic floor rehabilitation, pregnancy and postpartum recovery, pelvic pain, and incontinence management. She is known for her warm, thorough approach and her ability to make patients feel at ease with sensitive topics
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Book your Eastside Physiotherapy Appointment
You don't have to keep putting up with bladder leakage, pelvic pain, or discomfort. These conditions are treatable, and research supports physiotherapy as a first-line approach. Book a 60-minute women's health assessment at Eastside Physio + Co in Surrey Hills.