Pelvic Partnership

Supporting you with information about pelvic girdle pain (PGP)

The Pelvic Partnership provides women and healthcare professionals with information about best practice for the treatment and management of pregnancy-related PGP, and to enable and empower women to access the right treatment. We have packed our website with information about PGP, so please do have a read, and use and share this resource.

Free PGP leaflets

With support from the National Lottery and Dreamgenii, we have developed leaflets explaining PGP and how it can be treated with manual therapy. To find out more please click here to request a FREE leaflet about PGP or to click here to buy a pack of leaflets to share with friends, family or your clients.

“PGP is treatable” ebook

In our new ebook we share practical suggestions and realistic solutions to help you manage your pregnancy-related PGP throughout pregnancy and after your baby is born. This ebook was produced as part of our COVID-19 Response Project, funded by the National Lottery’s Coronavirus Community Support Fund.

The ebook is available on AmazonKindle or FOR FREE as a PDF here.

Talking about pelvic girdle pain with your GP or midwife: a toolkit for women with PGP

We have developed a free resource for women with PGP to help them at healthcare appointments.

We have heard from many women with PGP that it is challenging to describe their PGP to GPs or midwifes with little knowledge about the condition and how it can affect women physically and emotionally.

This FREE resource helps women find the words describe their symptoms, how PGP affects them and how to ask for the right referrals for further treatment, pain relief and support services.

Download Talking about pelvic girdle pain with your GP or midwife here.

What is PGP?

PGP is a biomechanical pelvic joint problem, previously known as Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). PGP affects 1 in 5 pregnant women and symptoms can occur at any stage during or following pregnancy. PGP causes pain and stiffness in the pelvic joints, and you may experience difficulty walking, climbing stairs and turning in bed.

Please remember, #pgpistreatable with hands-on manual therapy, such as physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic. Manual therapy is encouraged at any stage or pregnancy or postpartum.

> What is PGP?

> PGP is treatable!

Join us and help us support you

Donate to the Pelvic Partnership and automatically become a valued member, helping us continue our important work in providing information and support to women experiencing PGP, their families and carers. Your donation will also help us work with healthcare professionals to raise awareness about PGP and spread the word that #pgpistreatable.

Our valued members will receive our regular e-newsletter, be encouraged to volunteer and participate in our important work and have voting rights at our annual AGM.

> Donations and Membership

We’re here for you

If you are experiencing PGP, please remember you are not alone. PGP affects one in five pregnant women and the symptoms can continue after birth without manual therapy. To discuss further, please contact one of our volunteers via our Facebook support group or our telephone helpline.

Our Facebook support group for women experiencing PGP: Pelvic Partnership PGP Support Group

You can also ask us a question directly by calling our volunteer helpline on 01235 820921

2022 Pelvic Partnership survey of women with recent experience of PGP

More than 350 women with recent experience of PGP contributed to our survey between March-April 2022. You can download the Pelvic Partnership 2022 Survey Highlights. Here are some key findings:

67.5% were experiencing PGP when completing the survey (of those, more than 50% had been in pain for more than 6 months)
Only 6% could walk normally without any pain, 13% needed to use mobility aids such as crutches or a wheelchair and 2% reported being bedbound
Only 17% responded that they felt supported by their GP or midwife
80% had not been offered manual therapy on the NHS
59% had had private manual therapy (of those, 82% were either confident or fairly confident that it had improved their condition)
Of those who hadn’t had private manual therapy, 76% said it was because they couldn’t afford it
63% had experienced a problem with their mental health during or after pregnancy (of those, 72% listed PGP as a factor)

You can download the Pelvic Partnership 2022 Survey Highlights here.

Charity Registered in England: 1100373

The Pelvic Partnership consists of volunteers who have had pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and wish to support other women. We aim to pass on information based on both research and the experience of other women with PGP. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice and the information we provide should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material on this site is provided for information and support purposes only.

This website was built by Jigsaw Web Design Ltd

We would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Lottery's Corononavirus Community Support Fund, which funded our COVID-19 Response Project.