Since becoming an adult, it’s been impossible to avoid hearing about the importance of a strong pelvic floor. I’ve probably stumbled upon dozens of articles. My doctor and midwives recommend Kegels. Some friends warn that I better do them during pregnancy; other friends admit they skip the burpees in workout class so they don’t wet their leggings. I’ve read about the (debunked) strengthening claims of jade eggs and how French women get electronic physiotherapy after giving birth. The message is clear: a healthy pelvic floor deserves a place on my list of things to worry about.

There’s no question that this system of muscles, ligaments, nerves and connective tissues is crucial. It supports the bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum and helps them work well. Millions of women worldwide have pelvic floor problems like incontinence and prolapse (when the pelvic organs drop down and create a bulge in or out of the vagina). Men have a pelvic floor, too, but problems are less common and the male version doesn’t undergo the stress of childbirth.

But despite its importance, it turns out experts don’t entirely understand how the pelvic floor works.

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“We haven’t dug deeply into the anatomy of this,” says Janis Miller, an obstetrics and gynecology professor and pelvic floor researcher at the University of Michigan. “It’s one of the last frontiers of anatomy, comparable to the brain.”