Why exercise pelvic muscles?

Life's events can weaken pelvic muscles. Pregnancy, childbirth, and being overweight can do it. Luckily, when these muscles get weak, you can help make them strong again.

Pelvic floor muscles are just like other muscles. Exercise can make them stronger. Women with bladder control problems can regain control through pelvic muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises.

How do you exercise your pelvic muscles?

Find the right muscles. This is very important.

Your doctor, nurse or physical therapist will help you make sure you are doing the exercise the right way.

You should tighten the two major muscles that stretch across the pelvic floor. They are the "hammock" muscle and the "triangle" muscle. Here are three methods to check for the correct muscles.

1. Try to stop the flow of urine when you are sitting on the toilet. If you can do it, your using the right muscles.
2. Imagine that you are trying to stop passing gas. Squeeze the muscles you would use. If you sense a "pulling" feeling, those are the right muscles for the pelvic exercise.
3. Lie down and put your finger inside your vagina. Squeeze as if your were trying to stop urine from coming out. If you feel tightness on your finger, you are squeezing the right muscle.

Don't squeeze other muscles at the same time. Be careful not to tighten your stomach, legs, or other muscles. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder control muscles. Just squeeze your pelvic floor muscle. Don't hold your breath.

Repeat, but don't overdo it. At first, find a quite spot to practice-your bathroom or bedroom-so you can concentrate. Lie on the floor. Pull in the pelvic muscles and hold for a count of 3. Then relax for a count of 3. Work up to 10 or 15 repeats each time you exercise.

Do your pelvic exercises at least three times a day. Every day, use three positions: Lying, sitting, and standing. You can exercise while lying on the floor, sitting at your desk, or standing in the kitchen. Using all three positions makes the muscles strongest.

Be Patient Don't give up. It's just 5 minutes, three times a day. You may not feel your bladder control improve until after 3 to 6 weeks. Still, most women do notice an improvement after a few weeks.

Exercise aids. You can also exercise by using special weights or biofeedback. Ask your health care team about these exercise aids.

Hold the squeeze 'til after you sneeze

You can protect your pelvic muscle from more damage by bracing yourself.

Thinking ahead, just before sneezing, lifting, or jumping. Sudden pressure from such actions can hurt those pelvic muscles. Squeeze your pelvic muscles tightly and hold in until after you sneeze, lift, or jump.

After you train yourself to tighten the pelvic muscles for these moments, you will have fewer accidents.