Welcome to our website

The Pelvic Instability Association (PIA) is a not-for-profit organisation, staffed entirely by volunteers, based in Victoria - Australia with members across Australia.

The aims of PIA are to:

• Provide support and information to women and families affected by Pelvic Instability in Australia.

   and

• Raise awareness of Pelvic Instability in the community and amongst health professionals.

Some of the activities of PIA include quarterly meetings, often with a guest speaker on various topics. Our website provides information and self-help tips. Our volunteers also provide individual support via email and telephone.

  * Click HERE to find out details of our next meeting

You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter, please click on the icons below to be redirected.

How our group came about

The Pelvic Instability Association (PIA) began in November 2003 when a midwife suffered severe Pelvic Instability during her 2^nd pregnancy. She was disappointed that there was little knowledge about the condition and that there was no support group in Australia. She advertised the first meeting locally and on the internet and had the first meeting in a community centre in Daylesford, Victoria. A group of women who attended the first meeting, became the first committee, and as time went on the association and committee grew out of a group of caring and dynamic women who had all suffered with the condition.

In our group we have learned that we are not all the same. Most women who suffer Pelvic Instability will have mild symptoms which do not cause lasting problems. They may suffer mildly toward the end of the pregnancy and recover shortly after birth. Some women suffer a moderate amount of  Pelvic Instability which is painful and requires a real reduction of activities. Physiotherapy is usually required  and recovery is usually within 12 months of the delivery.  In rarer cases, women suffer as soon as pregnancy starts with severe symptoms that may require intensive physiotherapy and a variety of support services. These women, in particular, have found our association to be an important part of their recovery. However, women of all levels of Pelvic Instability are welcome to make contact with our group. Many women in our group have made the personal decision to have further children (after suffering previously with pelvic Instability), and have found that they have managed their symptoms better the next time round.

We estimate that around 50,000 women suffer with some level of Pelvic Instability in Australia each year. We have had over 12,000  hits on our website. Hundreds of women have contacted us by email and phone. We have new faces at each of our meetings, which are held in Melbourne four times a year. It has been a great relief to share our stories and our practical self-help tips with one another. We have found creative ways of managing the day to day things (like bathing a baby, or picking up toys) with an unstable pelvis.  Just knowing someone else has been through the condition has been so important.  At present we rely on small funding grants from the Victorian Department of Human Services and private donations. We are always looking for people interested in raising awareness of Pelvic Instability or helping out in any way.

Together, we are positive that Pelvic Instability can be managed and overcome through adequate support and understanding. We look forward  to a time when all Australian antenatal women and their care-givers will be aware of Pelvic Instability. A time when women and families know where to turn to for help. A time when symptoms are managed promptly and appropriately. A time when women and families feel they have all the care and support they need.