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Kegel exercises (pelvic floor muscle training): finding the right muscles, the method, and every day
For anyone, women and men, who leaks urine, stool or gas, or who was told to try Kegel exercises. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says these are simple exercises you can do to treat bladder problems and improve bowel control: you squeeze, hold, and relax the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder, rectum, and uterus. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: what they are and who they can help, four ways to find the right muscles, the easy way to start, how to fit them into every day, how long it may take, and the two cautions. It builds the words to say to your doctor or nurse, so you do not have to find them, and prints a card with blanks for your plan.
Right now
- Check first. NIDDK says that in some cases these exercises may not be a good option: check with your health care professional before you begin.
- The leaks getting you down, or thinking of ending your life? Call or text 988, any hour (ours). Leaks are a medical problem, not a failing (ours).
- In an emergency, call 911 (ours).
More help
- On this site: Kidneys and bladder: find the right page · Bladder leaks (urinary incontinence) · Bowel control problems.
- Times of life NIDDK names: Pregnant, or with a new baby · Menopause, and the years around it.
- Men: Prostatitis · Erectile dysfunction (ED).
- Keeping track and getting ready: Symptom diary · Get ready for your appointment · When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Constipation in adults: the signs, when to see a doctor, what helps, and laxatives: constipation in adults: the signs, when to see a doctor, what helps, and the kinds of laxative.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor, nurse or therapist has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 18, 2026 on NIDDK’s (NIH) page Kegel Exercises (last reviewed November 2021) and its Spanish page Ejercicios de Kegel (last reviewed November 2021), which say the same. The numbers (hold 3 seconds; 10 to 15 repetitions; at least three times a day; three positions; 5 minutes; 3 to 6 weeks) are NIDDK’s. Ours: that leaks are a medical problem and a fair thing to ask for help with; 988; 911; writing down when the leaks happen; asking for the plan in writing; and the order of the steps. The card sets no plan of its own: it has blanks for yours. What we left out: the four journal articles NIDDK cites, the drawing, and NIDDK’s outside links. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.