“It’s important to do pelvic floor exercises
to maintain strong pelvic floor muscles and
prevent bladder and bowel problems throughout your life”.1
Umbrella
What may the Pelvic Floor Exercises Umbrella include?
Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:
- Kegel Exercises
- Kegels
- Pelvic Floor Exercises
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Control
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises
- Pelvic Muscle Exercises (PMEs)
- Pelvic Muscle Strengthening Exercises
Pelvic Floor Muscles
What are the pelvic floor muscles?
DotS the definition of the pelvic floor muscles may vary. In Pelvic Floor Muscles: About the Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Muscles In Men and Women [+ Images] the Continence Foundation of Australia’s definition is:
“A woman’s pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, bowel and uterus (womb). The urethra (urine tube), anus (back passage) and vagina all pass through the pelvic floor muscles”.2
Pelvic Floor Exercises
What are pelvic floor exercises?
DotS the definition of pelvic floor exercises may vary. In Kegel Exercises: What Is A Kegel Exercise? the (United States) Cleveland Clinic explain:
Doing Kegels can help with issues such as:
- Urinary incontinence (leaking pee)
- Urge incontinence (an urgent need to pee)
- Fecal incontinence (leaking poop)
- Pelvic organ prolapse (pelvic organs sagging or bulging into your vagina)
Kegels can also improve your sexual health and help improve your orgasms. Men or people assigned male at birth (AMAB) and women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) can benefit from Kegel exercises”.3
Benefits
What are the benefits of pelvic floor exercises?
In The Bladder and Pelvic Floor: The Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Exercises the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health explain:
In Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises: Information the (United States) MedlinePlus’ explain:
“Pelvic floor muscle training exercises can help strengthen the muscles under the uterus, bladder, and bowel (large intestine). They can help both men and women who have problems with urine leakage or bowel control”.5
In Kegel Exercises: What Are Kegel Exercises? the (United States) National Association for Continence (NAFC) include a diagram and elaborate on why:
“Kegels or kegel exercises (also known as pelvic floor exercises) are one of the best ways to improve and maintain bowel and bladder functions. Kegels can be done by both men and women to increase the strength of your pelvic floor and may help to improve or even eliminate bladder leakage”.6
Identifying the Correct Muscles
How may women identify the correct muscles?
In Women: Pelvic Floor Exercise the Continence Foundation of Australia’s, Pelvic Floor First note:
Then, in Women: Pelvic Floor Exercises – How Can I Find My Pelvic Floor Muscles? Method 1 – Stopping the Flow Pelvic Floor First continue:
If you can, stop the flow of urine over the toilet for a second or two, then relax and finish emptying without straining. This ‘stop-test’ may help you identify the muscles around the front passage which control the flow of urine. It is not recommended as a regular exercise”.8
How Do I Do
How do I do pelvic floor exercises?
Examples of how to do pelvic floor exercises are included in:
Pelvic Floor Exercises
- How and Why To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises [04 November 2024]
- Kegel Exercises: A Step By Step Guide for Women on How To Do Kegel Exercises
- Pelvic Floor Exercises for Beginners In 3 Easy Steps [Video]
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Women
- The Bladder and Pelvic Floor: The Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Exercises
- Urinary Incontinence: 10 Ways To Stop Leaks [+ Video]
Tips
What are some tips about performing pelvic floor exercises properly?
In Kegel Exercises: A Step By Step Guide for Women on How To Do Kegel Exercises the NAFC elaborate on:
- Which muscles do I use?…
- How many should I do per day?…
- Work both your fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers…
- Things to watch out for…
- Repeat your exercises 3 times a day…
- Give yourself encouragement…”.9
Suitable or Not
Are pelvic floor exercises suitable for everyone?
The JH note:
Health Care Provider
What if I would like to find out if pelvic floor exercises could help me?
If you would like to find out if pelvic floor exercises could help you, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this. Together you may clarify your symptoms, discuss your options and if required, agree on who may be the most appropriate health care provider to help you.
In Kegel Exercises – A Step By Step Guide: Signs of Pelvic Floor Strength Improvement the NAFC encourage us to seek help:
It’s crucial to remember that incontinence and pelvic floor symptoms almost always have solutions and shouldn’t be shrugged off as normal. You can try these exercises regardless of how long you have had your symptoms. Even if you have been experiencing leakage for as short as 1 month or as long as 10 years, it is never too late to try Kegels”.11
Health Topics A-Z
Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Pelvic Floor Exercises?
In Health Topics A-Z you may find:
Links
Where may I find Links related to Pelvic Floor Exercises?
Your Country may have Links similar to:
Links
This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.New or Updated
- 5 Pelvic Floor Exercises for Anyone and Everyone [+ Video]
- Bladder
- Bladder Training: Tips and Techniques To Regain Control
- Bladder and Bowel Health
- Continence.org.au [Continence Foundation of Australia]
- Fact Sheets and Downloads
- Fact Sheets and Downloads: Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises and Bladder Training
- Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
- Glossary
- How Incontinence Affects Your Style Choices: Absorbent Products for the Way You Live
- How Physical Therapy Can Treat Incontinence
- How To Exercise Without Wetting Yourself
- How and Why To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises
- Kegel Exercises
- Kegel Exercises
- Kegel Exercises
- Kegel Exercises for Men: Understand the Benefits
- Kegel Exercises – Self-Care
- Kegel Exercises: A How-To Guide for Women,
- Kegel Exercises: A Step By Step Guide for Women on How To Do Kegel Exercises
- Kegel Exercises: How Do You Exercise Your Pelvic Muscles?
- Kegel Exercises: What Are Kegel Exercises?
- Lifting the Lid on Prolapse
- Menopause
- NAFC’s Review of 3 Popular Kegels Apps [National Association for Continence, United States]
- Nafc.org: Learning Library [National Association for Continence, United States]
- Pelvic Floor Disorder Awareness [+ Video]
- Pelvic Floor Exercises for Beginners In 3 Easy Steps [Video]
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training As Treatment for Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Women
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Women: How Do I Do Pelvic Floor Muscle Training?
- Pelvic Floor Muscles
- Pelvic Floor Muscles In Women: About the Pelvic Floor [+ Video: Female Pelvic Floor Muscle – 3D Animation]
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Featured Video [+ Video: Let’s Talk About Prolapse]
- Pelvicfloorfirst.org.au
- The Bladder and Pelvic Floor
- The Pelvic Floor
- Urinary Incontinence
- Urinary Incontinence: 10 Ways To Stop Leaks [+ Video]
- Voices for PFD [Pelvic Floor Disorders]
- Watch Our FAQ Videos Series – Video Series: Continence FAQs – FAQ #1: Why Do I Leak When I Cough, Sneeze or Laugh?
- Watch Our FAQ Videos Series – Video Series: Continence FAQs – FAQ #2: How Much Urine Leakage Is Normal?
- Watch Our FAQ Videos Series – Video Series: Continence FAQs – FAQ #3: What About Bowel Leakage?
- Women
- Women: Exercising Your Pelvic Floor Muscles?
- Women: Pelvic Floor Exercise
- Working Your Pelvic Floor
Sources
Where may I find the Sources quoted?
You may find the Sources quoted at:
Sources
- The Bladder and Pelvic Floor: The Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Exercises. Last Updated: 25 September 2024 | Last Reviewed: 17 January 2024. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder/the-bladder-and-pelvic-floor Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Pelvic Floor Muscles: About the Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Muscles In Men and Women. Last Updated: 27 May 2024. Last Reviewed: 23 March 2020. Continence Foundation of Australia https://www.continence.org.au/about-continence/continence-health/pelvic-floor Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Kegel Exercises: What Is A Kegel Exercise? Last Reviewed: 01 February 2023. Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14611-kegel-exercises Accessed: 06 November 2024
- The Bladder and Pelvic Floor: The Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Exercises. Last Updated: 25 September 2024 | Last Reviewed: 17 January 2024. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder/the-bladder-and-pelvic-floor Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Exercises: Information. Review Date: 15 October 2022. MedlinePlus https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003975.htm Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Kegel Exercises: What Are Kegel Exercises? National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/kegel-exercises Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Women: Pelvic Floor Exercises. Pelvic Floor First https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises-for-women.html Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Women: Pelvic Floor Exercises – How Can I Find My Pelvic Floor Muscles? Method 1 – Stopping the Flow. Pelvic Floor First https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises-for-women.html Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Kegel Exercises: A Step By Step Guide for Women on How To Do Kegel Exercises. National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/kegel-exercises Accessed: 06 November 2024
- The Bladder and Pelvic Floor: The Pelvic Floor – Pelvic Floor Exercises. Last Updated: 25 September 2024 | Last Reviewed: 17 January 2024. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder/the-bladder-and-pelvic-floor Accessed: 06 November 2024
- Kegel Exercises: Signs of Pelvic Floor Strength Improvement. National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/kegel-exercises Accessed: 06 November 2024