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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffKegel exercises can help improve the overall strength of your pelvic floor muscles and may help alleviate some of the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, such as pelvic pressure, urinary incontinence or fecal incontinence.
You can do these exercises almost anytime — while watching television, talking on the telephone or sitting at your desk.
To perform Kegel exercises:
- Pull in your pelvic floor muscles, which are the muscles you use to stop urinating.
- Hold for a count of five, and then relax for a count of five.
- Work up to 10 to 15 repetitions, and eventually 30 repetitions, if possible.
- Repeat at least three times a day.
If you have trouble with Kegel exercises, consider asking your doctor for help. Many women find it difficult to isolate the pelvic floor muscles. Your doctor can show you the right muscles and proper technique for Kegel exercises. You might also benefit from the help of a physical therapist, who uses special training devices to help you identify and isolate your pelvic floor muscles for strengthening.
- Lentz GM. Anatomic defects of the abdominal wall and pelvic floor: Abdominal and inguinal hernias, cystocele, urethrocele, enterocele, rectocele, uterine and vaginal prolapse, and rectal incontinence: Diagnosis and management. In: Katz VL, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/199482088-2/0/1524/131.html?tocnode=53759383&fromURL=131.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-02951-3..50023-6_663. Accessed May 3, 2010.
- ACOG Committee on Practice Bulletins - Gynecology. Pelvic organ prolapse. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2007;110:717.
- Park AJ, et al. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and nonsurgical management of posterior vaginal defects. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 3, 2010.
- Hughes D, et al. Pelvic organ prolapse. In: Schorge JO, et al. Williams Gynecology. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3159899. Accessed May 4, 2010.
- Tarnay CM. Pelvic organ prolapse. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2390520. Accessed May 4, 2010.
- DeLancey JOL. Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and evaluation of pelvic organ support. In: Gibbs RS, et al. Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008:818.
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