Pelvic floor exercises help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which come under greater strain during pregnancy and childbirth. The pelvic floors can be weakened even if you have a Caesarean Birth due to the strain during pregnancy.

Regularly exercising your pelvic floors can strengthen these muscles to minimise:

  • Urinary and faecal incontinence
  • stress incontinence
  • Sex; increased sensitivity and stronger orgasms

How to do pelvic floor exercises:

  • close up your bottom, as if you’re trying to stop yourself going to the toilet
  • at the same time, draw in your vagina as if you’re gripping a tampon, and your urethra as if to stop the flow of urine
  • at first, do this exercise quickly, tightening and releasing the muscles immediately
  • then do it slowly, holding the contractions for as long as you can before you relax: try to count to 10
  • try to do three sets of eight squeezes every day: to help you remember, you could do a set at each meal

As well as these exercises, practice tightening the pelvic floor muscles before and during coughing and sneezing.

Pelvic floor exercises information

For further information visit the NHS website.