Kegel Exercises: A Guide for Women
Kegel Exercises Can Prevent Or control urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor problems. Here’s a step-by-step guide to doing Kegel exercises properly.
by Mayo Clinic staff
Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. You can do Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle training, anytime.
First learn what Kegel exercises can do for you – then follow the instructions below to contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles.
Why Kegels are important
Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, including pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, overwork from constipation or chronic cough, and being overweight.
You if you:
Leak some, may benefit from Kegel exercises: urine droplets when sneezing, laughing or coughing (stress incontinence)
Strong, sudden urge to urinate before profuse urination (urinary acute incontinence)
- Leak some, may benefit from Kegel exercises: urine droplets when sneezing, laughing or coughing (stress incontinence)
Leaky stool (fecal incontinence)
Kegel exercises can also be done to try to improve symptoms after pregnancy or childbirth.
Kegel exercises were less helpful for women who had severe leaks when they sneeze, coughed, or laughed. Also, Kegel exercises are not helpful for women who accidentally leak small amounts of urine due to a full bladder (overflow incontinence).
How to do Kegel exercises
Begin :
Find the right muscle. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urinating halfway through. Once you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles, you can exercise them in any position, although you may find it easiest to start exercising lying down.
- Complete your technique.
Do Kegel exercises, imagine you are sitting on a marble and tighten your pelvic muscles as if you were lifting a marble Same. Try for three seconds at a time, then relax for a count of three.
Keep your attention.
For best results, focus only on tightening your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs, or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercise.
Repeat 3 times a day. Aim for at least 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per day.
Don’t develop the use of Kegel exercises to start and Stop the habit of your urine stream. Doing Kegel exercises while emptying the bladder can actually cause incomplete bladder emptying — which can increase the risk of urinary tract infections.
When to do Do Your Kegels
Make Kegel exercises a part of your daily routine. Whether you’re sitting at your desk or relaxing on the sofa, you can perform Kegel exercises discreetly almost anytime.
When you are in trouble
If you are Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help if you have a problem with Kegel exercises. Your doctor or other healthcare provider can give you important feedback so you can learn to isolate and exercise the right muscles.
In some cases, vaginal weighted cones or biofeedback may help. To use a vaginal cone, insert it into the vagina and use pelvic muscle contractions to hold it in place during daily activities. During a biofeedback session, your doctor or other healthcare provider inserts a pressure sensor into your vagina or rectum. As you relax and contract your pelvic floor muscles, the monitor will measure and display your pelvic floor activity.
When to expect results
If you regularly With Kegel exercises, you can see results—such as a reduction in the frequency of urine leakage—in about a few weeks to a few months. For lasting benefits, make Kegel exercises a permanent part of your daily routine.
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September 2022 August 8th,
Wein AJ, et al., eds. Conservative management of urinary incontinence: behavioral and pelvic floor therapy and urethral and pelvic devices. In: Campbell-Walsh Urology. 11th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed September 18, 2018.
Ferri FF. Kegel exercises strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. In: Ferri’s Clinical Advisor 2019. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed September 18, 2019.
Do Kegel exercises for your pelvic muscles. American Academy of Family Physicians. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed September 18, 2019.
Kegel exercises. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/bladder-control-problems-women/kegel-exercises. Accessed April 4, 2018.
understand deeper
.
- Find the right muscle. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urinating halfway through. Once you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles, you can exercise them in any position, although you may find it easiest to start exercising lying down.
- Complete your technique.
- Do Kegel exercises, imagine you are sitting on a marble and tighten your pelvic muscles as if you were lifting a marble Same. Try for three seconds at a time, then relax for a count of three.
Keep your attention.
Repeat 3 times a day. Aim for at least 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per day.
Don’t develop the use of Kegel exercises to start and Stop the habit of your urine stream. Doing Kegel exercises while emptying the bladder can actually cause incomplete bladder emptying — which can increase the risk of urinary tract infections.
When to do Do Your Kegels
Make Kegel exercises a part of your daily routine. Whether you’re sitting at your desk or relaxing on the sofa, you can perform Kegel exercises discreetly almost anytime.
When you are in trouble
If you are Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help if you have a problem with Kegel exercises. Your doctor or other healthcare provider can give you important feedback so you can learn to isolate and exercise the right muscles.
In some cases, vaginal weighted cones or biofeedback may help. To use a vaginal cone, insert it into the vagina and use pelvic muscle contractions to hold it in place during daily activities. During a biofeedback session, your doctor or other healthcare provider inserts a pressure sensor into your vagina or rectum. As you relax and contract your pelvic floor muscles, the monitor will measure and display your pelvic floor activity.
When to expect results
If you regularly With Kegel exercises, you can see results—such as a reduction in the frequency of urine leakage—in about a few weeks to a few months. For lasting benefits, make Kegel exercises a permanent part of your daily routine.
from Mayo Clinic to your receipt Box
Register for free to stay informed about research progress, health tips and current health topics (such as COVID-19) and expertise on managing your health.
In order to provide you with the most relevant and useful information, and to understand what is useful, we may share your email and website usage information with other Combine the information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this may include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of this information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.
-
September 2022 August 8th,
Don’t develop the use of Kegel exercises to start and Stop the habit of your urine stream. Doing Kegel exercises while emptying the bladder can actually cause incomplete bladder emptying — which can increase the risk of urinary tract infections.
When to do Do Your Kegels
Make Kegel exercises a part of your daily routine. Whether you’re sitting at your desk or relaxing on the sofa, you can perform Kegel exercises discreetly almost anytime.
When you are in trouble
If you are Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help if you have a problem with Kegel exercises. Your doctor or other healthcare provider can give you important feedback so you can learn to isolate and exercise the right muscles.
In some cases, vaginal weighted cones or biofeedback may help. To use a vaginal cone, insert it into the vagina and use pelvic muscle contractions to hold it in place during daily activities. During a biofeedback session, your doctor or other healthcare provider inserts a pressure sensor into your vagina or rectum. As you relax and contract your pelvic floor muscles, the monitor will measure and display your pelvic floor activity.
- When to expect results
If you regularly With Kegel exercises, you can see results—such as a reduction in the frequency of urine leakage—in about a few weeks to a few months. For lasting benefits, make Kegel exercises a permanent part of your daily routine.
from Mayo Clinic to your receipt Box
Register for free to stay informed about research progress, health tips and current health topics (such as COVID-19) and expertise on managing your health.
In order to provide you with the most relevant and useful information, and to understand what is useful, we may share your email and website usage information with other Combine the information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this may include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of this information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.
September 2022 August 8th,
- Wein AJ, et al., eds. Conservative management of urinary incontinence: behavioral and pelvic floor therapy and urethral and pelvic devices. In: Campbell-Walsh Urology. 11th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed September 18, 2018.
Ferri FF. Kegel exercises strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. In: Ferri’s Clinical Advisor 2019. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed September 18, 2019.
Do Kegel exercises for your pelvic muscles. American Academy of Family Physicians. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed September 18, 2019.
Kegel exercises. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/bladder-control-problems-women/kegel-exercises. Accessed April 4, 2018.
Kegel exercises. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/bladder-control-problems-women/kegel-exercises. Accessed April 4, 2018.
understand deeper
.
