Kegel exercises for women: when they help and how to do them properly

Pelvic floor muscle training is one of the best-studied non-drug options for urinary leakage in women. Here is when it helps, how to find the right muscles, and when you need professional support.

What the pelvic floor muscles do

The pelvic floor muscles surround the urethra, vagina and back passage, and support the bladder, uterus and bowel. When they do not work properly, this is called pelvic floor dysfunction. Its most common signs are urinary or faecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse (NICE NG210).

When training helps

• Stress urinary incontinence — leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise. In a Cochrane review, 56% of women who did pelvic floor training reported a cure, compared with 6% of those who had no treatment (Dumoulin et al., 2018). For stress or mixed incontinence, NICE recommends starting with at least 3 months of supervised training, with at least 8 contractions 3 times a day (NICE NG123).
• Early-stage prolapse with symptoms. NICE suggests considering a supervised programme of at least 16 weeks (NICE NG123).
• Prevention. NICE recommends encouraging women of all ages to do pelvic floor training and to continue throughout life (NICE NG210). Pregnancy and birth are covered in a separate guide.
• Menopause. Around the menopause, the pelvic floor muscles — like other muscles — may weaken, and weight gain can also play a part (Pelvic Floor First). If urgency comes with vaginal dryness or other genitourinary symptoms of the menopause, a doctor may offer vaginal oestrogen (NICE NG123).
• Sexual function. Small studies suggest improvement, but their results vary widely (García-Laria et al., 2025).

How to find the muscles

1. Sit, lie down or stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Relax your thighs, buttocks and stomach.
2. At the same time, squeeze the muscles around your urethra (as if stopping your urine flow), around your vagina (as if lifting a tampon higher) and around your back passage (as if holding in wind). The muscles should squeeze and lift up and in.
3. Nothing above your belly button should tighten. The lower tummy may flatten slightly — that is normal, as it works together with the pelvic floor.
4. After each squeeze, let go completely, as you would to pass urine (Pelvic Floor First).

You can stop your urine flow once to identify the muscles, but not as a regular exercise (Pelvic Floor First).

How to do the exercises

• Long squeezes: hold for up to 10 seconds while breathing easily, then relax.
• Short squeezes: squeeze quickly and let go straight away.
• Do up to 10 of each, only for as long as your technique stays good, several times a day (Pelvic Floor First; NHS).
• If you cannot feel the muscles working, change position — lying down instead of sitting, or the other way round.

Your pelvic floor and sport

Running, jumping and sit-ups put pressure on the pelvic floor and can make leaks worse. If this happens, swap some high-impact exercise for strengthening work such as pilates, and tighten your pelvic floor before you lift anything heavy (NHS). Holding your breath, straining or shaking during an exercise are signs that the load is too much for now (Pelvic Floor First).

When to expect results

You may notice better bladder control after 3 to 6 weeks (NIDDK), but it can take a few months (NHS). If the training helps, keep it up (NICE NG123).

When to see a doctor

• leaking urine, wind or stools, or urgent or frequent need to go;
• a heavy or bulging feeling in the vagina (NHS);
• difficulty emptying your bladder or bowel;
• pain in the pelvis, during the exercises or during sex (Pelvic Floor First).

Ask to be referred to a pelvic health specialist: NICE recommends that training programmes be supervised by a physiotherapist or another professional with the right expertise (NICE NG210).

KegelFit offers a Kegel exercise timer and video workouts for the pelvic floor and the whole body. It helps you keep a routine, but it does not measure muscle strength, check your technique or replace a supervised programme. Free to download, with in-app purchases: Google Play · App Store.

Sources

1. NICE. Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management (NG210), 2021. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng210
2. NICE. Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management (NG123), 2019. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng123
3. Dumoulin C, Cacciari LP, Hay-Smith EJC. Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;10:CD005654. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub4
4. Continence Health Australia. Pelvic Floor First: Pelvic floor exercises for women. https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pelvic-floor-muscle-exercises-for-women.html
5. Continence Health Australia. Pelvic Floor First: Going through menopause or post-menopausal. https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/going-through-menopause-or-post-menopausal.html
6. Continence Health Australia. Pelvic Floor First: Pelvic Floor Safe Exercises. https://www.pelvicfloorfirst.org.au/pages/pelvic-floor-safe-exercises.html
7. NHS. 10 ways to stop leaks (reviewed 15 June 2023). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/10-ways-to-stop-leaks/
8. NHS. Pelvic organ prolapse (reviewed 3 July 2025). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pelvic-organ-prolapse/
9. NIDDK. Kegel Exercises (last reviewed November 2021). https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kegel-exercises
10. García-Laria R, et al. Effects of pelvic floor muscle training on sexual function of postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sex Med. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/sexmed/qfaf067