Have you finally had enough of your bladder issues? If you struggle with urgency, leak when you laugh, wake up all night to pee, or have any other symptoms of incontinence, you know firsthand how life-limiting it can be.
That’s why we’ve created this free pelvic floor muscle training kit. It’s filled with tons of information you can use right now to get started on your treatment path, including brochures, symptom trackers, discussion guides, and more.
Download your kit today and see for yourself how a strong pelvic floor can help you get dry and stay dry
What Exactly Is Pelvic Floor Muscle Training?
If you picture your bladder as a type of balloon, think of it more like a water balloon than something helium-filled. That is to say, it doesn’t just float around inside your body – it can actually get pretty heavy, so it has to be well-supported if it’s going to function properly.
That’s where your pelvic floor comes in – it’s a complex group of muscles that give your bladder the support it needs. These muscles act almost like a hammock to hold up all the organs you have down there, and they’re essential for bladder and bowel control, core stability, and even sexual health. When those muscles become weakened – whether from pregnancy, childbirth, aging, or any other reason – you can find it much more difficult to control when, where, and how you go to the bathroom.
The good news is that, like most other muscles, your pelvic floor can be strengthened through training exercises. The most well-known of these are Kegels, which involve squeezing and lifting the pelvic muscles as if you’re stopping the flow of urine. But training can also include deep breathing, posture work, and even full-body movements that engage the core and pelvis. With regular practice, pelvic floor training can improve bladder control, reduce discomfort, and enhance your overall well-being.
Ready To Start Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor?
Can Pelvic Floor Training Really Help?
Yes, it can! Pelvic floor training can make a big difference when it comes to treating urinary incontinence and is often recommended for women with stress urinary incontinence (where you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, or exercise), although women with OAB have seen positive results too. Research shows that women practicing PFMT experience significantly fewerleaks – and when they do leak, they produce a smaller volume of urine than those who don’t exercise.
Studies have found that regular pelvic floor exercises alone can result in about 7 fewer episodes per week1 compared to usual care – pretty good results for a treatment method that you can do in the privacy of your own home without medication or surgery. Additionally, 83% of participants of one study said that their quality of life improved from treatment with PFMT.1
Some considerations when determining if pelvic floor muscle training is right for you:
- Pelvic floor muscle training is generally an effective first-line treatment for urinary incontinence in women. PFMT can lead to a reduction in urinary incontinence episodes and can improve the chances of being cured compared to usual care.
- PFMT may be especially beneficial for stress urinary incontinence and potentially more effective for younger women. The success of PFMT is stronger for younger women with stress UI, although older women and women with OAB have also seen positive results.
- Supervision matters. Getting guidance on pelvic floor muscle training from a trained pelvic floor physical therapist may be more effective than doing it on your own.
- Biofeedback helps. Biofeedback, where you use sensors to see how well you’re contracting your pelvic floor muscles, can be helpful if you have trouble identifying the correct muscles to use.
- Adding other exercise to PFMT may give you better results. Some studies have suggested that the reduction of bladder leaks is greater when other exercises, such as yoga, are added to PFMT.
The key to getting the best results is establishing a routine and sticking to it. You can’t only do your exercises every now and then and expect them to generate meaningful results. And once they do start working, you can’t stop and assume the gains you’ve made are going to last. Make it a daily habit to see consistent, lasting results. Chances are you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll begin to see an improvement – in most women, symptoms can become noticeably better within 4 and 12 weeks.
There’s a reason why pelvic floor training is one of today’s most popular treatment methods, and one of the first things your doctor might recommend – it’s easy to get started, completely discreet and surprisingly effective.
A leak-free life doesn’t have to wait.
Download you’re FREE pelvic floor kit today, and while you’re at it, make an appointment to talk with your doctor about your symptoms and all the other treatment options that may also be worth considering.
Ready To Start Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor?
References
ECRI Institute-Penn Medicine Evidence-based Practice Center. PCORI Evidence Map: Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Urinary Incontinence in Women. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; April 2020. Prepared by ECRI Institute under PCORI Contract No. IDIQ-TO#10-ECRI-SCI-EVIDENCEMAP. www.pcori.org/evidence-maps-UI-PFMT.
Research Links
Interested in learning more about the research and findings on the benefits of pelvic floor muscle training? The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute has prepared a summary document that you can download here:
You can also find an interactive visualization of the data here:
Note – the information found at these links can be technical, so it’s best to discuss any questions you may have with your doctor.
This web page was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award (EADI-38455).
The statements presented on this web page are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®), its Board of Governors or Methodology Committee.
