Pelvic Floor Exercise FAQ

Which pelvic floor device might be best for me to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles?

All of the pelvic floor exercise and strengthening devices we sell help to strengthen or improve the function of your pelvic floor muscles. A decision about which is "best" depends on your symptoms, goals, and lifestyle.

Please understand that while we provide as much information as we can on different products on our website, all of our information is a guide only and not individual recommendations or advice. We are not able to advise customers on what they should buy, or on which product would suit them best. For help with making a choice if necessary please talk to your health practitioner.
Please also read:

Many exercisers are described as providing 'biofeedback'. What does this mean?

Biofeedback quite literally means "feedback from your body".

Any device that provides feedback about what your body is doing, with a view to improving your ability to control your body's functions, can be described as providing "biofeedback". All our visual feedback products fall into this category.

But the term can also apply to products that act on the body's involuntary muscles. Hence, vaginal cones, which trigger the pelvic floor muscles into contracting in response to the presence of the cones, are also a type of feedback device, as they create a feedback loop that causes a behaviour response in the muscles.

And finally, the term is sometimes used by health professionals and in research papers to refer to the more sophisticated devices (often electrical) that are used during a visit to a professional.

"Many patients who are motivated to begin PFMT (pelvic floor muscle training) are unable to exercise effectively, and receive no benefit from their efforts. The addition of biofeedback technology in PFMT teaches patients to effectively isolate the pelvic floor, increasing the efficacy of home exercises. Several contemporary studies demonstrate that PFMT with biofeedback is superior to PFMT alone."

Drs Christopher Whelan & Patrick McKenna, Division of Urology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

If I buy an exerciser, how will I know how to use it correctly?

All of our pelvic floor muscle exercisers come with manufacturers instructions.
As an extra service to our customers, Pelvic Floor Exercise also provides an information sheet for your specific product and how to use it written by our pelvic floor physiotherapist, Fiona, whose many years of experience mean she knows how to use the products properly.

The reason we supply our clinically -based instruction sheets is that some products are very useful for pelvic floor muscle or kegel training but the instructions may not fit with current research or may not be adequate enough to assist you in using it for best results.

How long will it take to know if my exercise program is working?

This depends on the strength of your pelvic floor before you start.

Manufacturers and research both indicate that most women will need to commit to daily exercising for 6-12 weeks to make a difference and then continue to exercise regularly, but less frequently thereafter, to maintain fitness.

If you already have fairly strong pelvic floor and are only seeking to improve fitness you may achieve your goals more quickly.

If you follow an exercise program for 12 weeks without noticing an improvement you should always seek medical advice, or consult a women's health physiotherapist.

I had a hysterectomy 10 years ago. Which exerciser would suit me best?

A hysterectomy wouldn't normally make a difference to your ability to use an exerciser or to which type will suit you best, but you should consult a health professional such as a women's health physiotherapist to discuss your particular needs. Care must be taken if you have had a vaginal repair at the same time, especially if you had mesh inserted. Please seek advice before using any form of pelvic floor device.

Assuming there is no specific health or medical reason for making a particular choice, a decision is usually based on a combination of lifestyle factors and the existing ability to do a pelvic floor contaction correctly.

  • Am I sure that I am doing my pelvic floor exercises correctly already?
    If no, you can consider a product that specifically provides feedback on doing the exercises correctly (Pelvic Floor Educator, PFX2 )
    Or one that gives you a specific program for where you are starting from eg Elvie or Kegelcore
  • Do I consider that my pelvic floor is already pretty good and I just want to build strength?
    If you already have strong pelvic floor muscles, you can continue using the PFX2 which is adjustable to a high level of resistance. Or you may consider a light vaginal weight like the Teneo Uno
    If you think you are starting from a lower level of strength, you may still want to consider either the PFX2, Aquaflex or electrical stimulation with the Pericalm, Neurotrac Pelvitone or Continence.
  • Am I prepared to allocate specific exercise time each day to an exerciser that requires me to lay down?
    Feedback exercisers, and electrical stimulation devices all require you to set aside specific exercise time each day in privavcy. If this isn't possible, or not what you feel you would liket to do, progressive weights such as Aquaflex or Luna Beads can be used whilst moving around although you may initially need to allow for specific standing-still time until you reach a given level of muscle fitness, but this will depend on your existing individual strength.

Always check first if mesh was used in your surgery, and if so, consult your surgeon and pelvic floor physio before using any device

I am pregnant. Is there any point in doing pelvic floor exercises during my pregnancy?

There is quite a lot of research evidence that doing pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and after delivery reduces the likelihood that you will experience stress incontinence during and after pregnancy. A strong pelvic floor has also been shown to have a positive effect on second stage of labour. You can read more about this on our childbirth page.
So there are good reasons to do pelvic floor exercises right through pregnancy, with no need to stop unless advised to do so by your medical team looking after you, and to continue after birth.
When you can start again postnatally may be determined by what sort of delivery you have. You should talk to your doctor, midwife or physio about this after you've had your baby.

The manufacturers of exercise products are generally cautious about their use in pregnancy and in the first six weeks after birth, mainly because there is always a risk associated with inserting any device at this stage (infection, or risk associated with placenta praevia in the last trimester, etc). Most therefore state that their product should not be used at all during pregnancy, however be guided by your Obstetrician. Likewise, please check with your care provider before using an exerciser after the birth.

Read more about choosing an exercise aid for antenatal or postnatal use.