Pregnancy, childbirth and being overweight can weaken your pelvic floor muscles. The associated symptoms include leaking urine and bladder control problems. Pelvic exercises involve strengthening the two major muscles that make up your pelvic floor: the hammock muscle and the triangle muscle. These muscles attach to the front, back and sides of your pelvis, supporting your pelvic organs.
Kegels
Kegels are a type of exercise that strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. Weak pelvic floor muscles can result in your pelvic organs descending into your vagina--a condition called pelvic organ prolapse--and cause related symptoms, such as leaking urine and bladder problems. Kegel exercises help strengthen your pelvic muscles in order to help you regain bladder control, delaying or preventing pelvic organ prolapse and its related symptoms.
Pelvic Muscles
Finding your pelvic floor muscles is the key to learning strengthen them. One way to find your pelvic muscle is to insert one finger into your vagina. Try to squeeze your finger with the surrounding muscles so your vagina tightens and your pelvic floor muscles move upward. As you relax, you should feel your pelvic floor descend back down. Another way to find your pelvic floor muscles is to try to stop your urine flowing in the middle of urinating. This contraction will stop your urine flow.
Doing Kegels
Once you've found your pelvic floor muscles, the rest should be easy. Begin by emptying your bladder. According to MayoClinic.com, you can weaken your pelvic muscles further or increase your risk of getting a bladder infection if you perform Kegels with a full bladder. Sit or lie down and contract your pelvic floor muscles, holding for 5 seconds. Relax and then gradually work up to contracting the muscles for 10 seconds, then relaxing for 10 seconds. Repeat three times a day. Make sure you only tighten your pelvic floor muscles, not your abdominal, thigh or butt muscles. Keep your breathing steady and even.
Results
If you do your pelvic floor exercises for 5 minutes, three times a day, you can expect to see a reduction in urine leakage in about 8 to 12 weeks. Since every woman is different, the results will always vary. Some women see dramatic changes, while others only hold the problems at bay. To experience continued benefits, you should do pelvic exercises on a permanent basis.
Assistive Devices
Many devices have been developed to help you exercise your pelvic floor muscles. These include biofeedback training and electrical stimulation. Biofeedback units involve inserting a monitoring probe into your vagina to alert you when you perform the right contraction. Electrical stimulation involves applying a small electrical current to your pelvic muscles in order to produce a buzzing feeling. Once you feel the sensation, you should be able to duplicate the exercise on your own.
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