Kegel exercises can help make the muscles under the uterus, bladder, and bowel (large intestine) stronger. They can help both men and women who have problems with urine leakage or bowel control. You may have these problems: As you get older If you gain weight After pregnancy and childbirth After gynecologic surgery (women) After prostate surgery (men) People who have brain and nerve disorders may also have problems with urine leakage or bowel control. Kegel exercises can be done any time you are sitting or lying down. You can do them when you are eating, sitting at your desk, driving, and when you are resting or watching television. A Kegel exercise is like pretending you have to urinate and then holding it. You relax and tighten the muscles that control urine flow. It is important to find the right muscles to tighten. Next time you have to urinate, start to go and then stop. Feel the muscles in your vagina (for women), bladder, or anus get tight and move up. These are the pelvic floor muscles. If you feel them tighten, you have done the exercise right. Your thighs, buttock muscles, and abdomen should remain relaxed. If you still are not sure you are tightening the right muscles: Imagine that you are trying to keep yourself from passing gas. Women: Insert a finger into your vagina. Tighten the muscles as if you are holding in your urine, then let go. You should feel the muscles tighten and move up and down. Men: Insert a finger into your rectum. Tighten the muscles as if you are holding in your urine, then let go. You should feel the muscles tighten and move up and down. Once you know what the movement feels like, do Kegel exercises 3 times a day: Make sure your bladder is empty, then sit or lie down. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles. Hold tight and count 3 to 5 seconds. Relax the muscles and count 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night). Breathe deeply and relax your body when you are doing these exercises. Make sure you are not tightening your stomach, thigh, buttock, or chest muscles. After 4 to 6 weeks, you should feel better and have fewer symptoms. Keep doing the exercises, but do not increase how many you do. Overdoing it can lead to straining when you urinate or move your bowels. Some notes of caution: Once you learn how to do them, do not practice Kegel exercises at the same time you are urinating more than twice a month. Doing the exercises while you are urinating can weaken your pelvic floor muscles over time or cause damage to bladder and kidneys. In women, doing Kegel exercises incorrectly or with too much force may cause vaginal muscles to tighten too much. This can cause pain during sexual intercourse. Incontinence will return if you stop doing these exercises. Once you start doing them, you may need to do them for the rest of your life. It may take several months for your incontinence to lessen once you start doing these exercises. Contact your health care provider if you are not sure you are doing Kegel exercises the right way. Your provider can check to see if you are doing them correctly. You may be referred to a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor exercises.

Kegel exercise glossary Anus: the opening through which stool passes out of your body. The act of passing stools is called a ‘bowel movement.’ Bladder: a muscle shaped like a balloon that holds your urine Bowel movement: the act of passing stool Catheter: a thin rubber tube placed in your body to drain urine from your bladder out through your penis Incontinence: when you leak or pass urine when you do not want to Kegel (Key-gul) exercise: exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder and bowel PC muscles (also known as pelvic floor or pubococcygeus muscles): muscles that support your bladder and rectum and help control your urine flow Pelvic floor muscles (also known as the pubococcygeus (pu-bo-kak-sij-e-us) or PC muscles): muscles that support your bladder and rectum and help control your urine flow Prostate: a gland, about the size of a walnut, located under the bladder surrounding the upper part of the urethra Pubococcygeus (pu-bo-kak-sij-e-us) muscles (also known as pelvic floor or PC muscles): muscles that support your bladder and rectum and help control your urine flow Rectum: the outermost portion of the large intestine. Stools are stored in the rectum until they are passed out of the body through the anus. Semen: the fluid that comes out of your penis at the climax of sex Side effect: unwanted changes in your body caused by your prostate cancer treatment Sphincter muscles: muscles which help open and close your urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis to the outside of the body Stool: the fecal matter that comes out at each movement of your bowels Urethra: a tube that carries urine through the penis to the outside of the body

Now that you have located your pelvic floor muscles, you can exercise them even when you do not have to urinate (pee) by following these simple steps: Tighten and hold your pelvic floor muscles for five seconds (count 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand, 4 one thousand, 5 one thousand). Relax your pelvic muscles. You have just done one Kegel exercise. You should plan to do 10 to 20 Kegel exercises three to four times each day. Another way to tighten your pelvic floor muscles is to: Squeeze the muscles in your anus (like you are holding a bowel movement). Relax your pelvic floor muscles after each attempt. Repeat this exercise 10 to 20 times. When you do your Kegel exercises, remember Do not hold your breath. Do not push down. Squeeze your muscles together tightly and imagine that you are trying to lift this muscle up. Do not tighten the muscles in your stomach, buttocks, or thighs. Relax your pelvic floor muscles between each squeeze.

How to do Kegel Exercises Collapse Section How to do Kegel Exercises has been expanded. Once you know what the movement feels like, do Kegel exercises 3 times a day: Make sure your bladder is empty, then sit or lie down. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles. Hold tight and count 3 to 5 seconds. Relax the muscles and count 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night). Breathe deeply and relax your body when you are doing these exercises. Make sure you are not tightening your stomach, thigh, buttock, or chest muscles. After 4 to 6 weeks, you should feel better and have fewer symptoms. Keep doing the exercises, but do not increase how many you do. Overdoing it can lead to straining when you urinate or move your bowels. Some notes of caution: Once you learn how to do them, do not practice Kegel exercises at the same time you are urinating more than twice a month. Doing the exercises while you are urinating can weaken your pelvic floor muscles over time or cause damage to bladder and kidneys. In women, doing Kegel exercises incorrectly or with too much force may cause vaginal muscles to tighten too much. This can cause pain during sexual intercourse. Incontinence will return if you stop doing these exercises. Once you start doing them, you may need to do them for the rest of your life. It may take several months for your incontinence to lessen once you start doing these exercises.

How to Find the Right Muscles Collapse Section How to Find the Right Muscles has been expanded. A Kegel exercise is like pretending you have to urinate and then holding it. You relax and tighten the muscles that control urine flow. It is important to find the right muscles to tighten. Next time you have to urinate, start to go and then stop. Feel the muscles in your vagina (for women), bladder, or anus get tight and move up. These are the pelvic floor muscles. If you feel them tighten, you have done the exercise right. Your thighs, buttock muscles, and abdomen should remain relaxed. If you still are not sure you are tightening the right muscles: Imagine that you are trying to keep yourself from passing gas. Women: Insert a finger into your vagina. Tighten the muscles as if you are holding in your urine, then let go. You should feel the muscles tighten and move up and down. Men: Insert a finger into your rectum. Tighten the muscles as if you are holding in your urine, then let go. You should feel the muscles tighten and move up and down.

Kegel exercises help keep your pelvic floor muscles “fit.” Much like you may strengthen other muscles in your body by lifting weights, doing Kegels is a way to keep your pelvic floor muscles strong. Kegel exercises can give you better control over your bladder and bowels and prevent your pelvic muscles from getting weak.

Kegel exercises help keep your pelvic floor muscles “fit.” Much like you may strengthen other muscles in your body by lifting weights, doing Kegels is a way to keep your pelvic floor muscles strong. Kegel exercises can give you better control over your bladder and bowels and prevent your pelvic muscles from getting weak.