Urinary Incontinence: Kegel
Exercises for Your Pelvic
Muscles
How do pelvic muscles get weak?
This handout focuses on Kegel exercises for women because it is much more common for women to leak urine than for men. If you are a man who leaks urine, talk to your doctor about whether Kegel exercises can help you.
Which muscles control my bladder?
These are the same muscles that you would use to try to stop the flow of urine. They are the muscles you will exercise and strengthen.
How do I exercise pelvic muscles?
Be patient and continue to exercise. It takes time to strengthen the pelvic muscles, just like it takes time to improve the muscles in your arms, legs or abdomen. You may not notice any change in bladder control until after 6 to 12 weeks of daily exercises. Still, most women notice an improvement after just a few weeks.
A few points to remember
- Weak pelvic muscles often lead to urine leakage.
- Daily exercises can strengthen pelvic muscles.
- These exercises often improve bladder control.
- Ask your doctor or nurse if you are squeezing the right muscles.
- Tighten your pelvic muscle before sneezing, lifting or jumping. This can prevent pelvic muscle damage and urine leakage.
- Continue to exercise. If the exercises work, continue to do them, just like any other exercises.
