Pelvic muscles play an important role during delivery, as you push your baby through your pelvis and into the world. When they work correctly, those muscles also hold your uterus, bladder, and rectum in place. And they help prevent urine leaks when you cough or laugh — something you're likely to notice only when it stops working.

Fortunately, there’s an exercise you can do to help keep those pelvic muscles strong: Kegels.

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Key Takeaways
  • Kegels help support your body during and after pregnancy. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can improve bladder control, support your pelvic organs, and lower the risk of issues like urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse — both during pregnancy and postpartum.
  • They’re simple to do — once you find the right muscles. Kegels involve tightening and relaxing the same muscles you use to stop a fart or pee. Start with short contractions and gradually build up to longer holds and more repetitions as your muscles get stronger.
  • Balance strength with relaxation. While regular Kegels can be beneficial, it’s also important to learn how to relax your pelvic floor as labor approaches. If you’re unsure whether to focus on strengthening or relaxing, a pelvic floor physical therapist can help tailor the right routine for you.

What are Kegel exercises?

Named after gynecologist Arnold Kegel, Kegel exercises engage and strengthen your pelvic floor — a group of muscles and ligaments that sit like a sling between your hips. Your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder, uterus, and other organs and help control the flow of urine, gas, and feces.[1]

The goal of a Kegel is to contract and then relax the pelvic floor muscles for short periods of time. It's best to aim for several short sets a few times a day (more on that below).

Are Kegel exercises beneficial during pregnancy?

As your baby grows during pregnancy, your pelvic floor muscles have to support more and more weight, which can put extra strain on them. Research shows that regularly doing Kegels before, during, and after pregnancy can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and may help decrease the odds of pelvic floor issues such as incontinence.[2]

When you finally go into labor, these muscles will stretch even more to make room for your baby to pass through. Doing Kegel exercises while pregnant (and postpartum!) may help prevent problems down the road.

Here's how you may benefit from adding them to your routine:[3]

  • Better bladder control. Up to an estimated third of women experience postpartum bladder leakage, and doing Kegels can help prevent and treat urinary incontinence. If you notice occasional urine leaking when you cough, lift, or exercise, it may be because your over-burdened pelvic floor muscles aren’t able to support your bladder the way they usually do. "Kegels helped me a ton with bladder leakage, both before and after birth," says What to Expect Community mom MadisonHatter.
  • Lower risk of fecal incontinence. Women who experience third- or fourth-degree vaginal tears are at higher risk for postpartum fecal incontinence (when you have trouble holding in your poop). Kegels may help reduce that risk.
  • Slow the progression of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when one or more pelvic organs descend into the vagina from their normal position. Regular Kegels may help prevent prolapse from worsening.[4]
  • More enjoyable sex. Kegels may also boost your sexual health and pleasure and help you reach orgasm more easily.[5]

While Kegel exercises can be very beneficial during pregnancy and postpartum, it's also important to remember that some people may benefit from "reverse Kegels," which focus on relaxing the pelvic floor instead of contracting it.[6] When in doubt, a pelvic floor physical therapist can assess your symptoms and suggest the best routine for you.

How to correctly do Kegel exercises

Kegel exercises are fast and free, and once you know how to do them, you can practice just about anywhere — when you’re stopped at a red light, waiting in line, or watching TV.

Here's how:

1. Find your pelvic floor muscles.

Before you begin, you'll want to make sure you're engaging the right muscles. Kegels feel as though you're holding back gas or urine. The muscles you tighten to do this are the same ones you’ll want to contract when you do a Kegel.

(Once you've identified find them, though, avoid doing Kegels while urinating — this can increase the risk of urinary tract infections and other problems.)[7]

If you’re still not sure you’ve found the right muscles, put a clean finger in your vagina. If you’re doing a Kegel correctly, the vagina should contract around your finger and lift your finger slightly upward.

Try not to hold your breath, and avoid clenching your thighs, stomach, or butt muscles at the same time.

Still having trouble? Don’t hesitate to ask your health care practitioner or a pelvic floor physical therapist for guidance at your next pelvic exam.[8]

Community member sweetpea0925 finds her physical therapist very helpful. "I struggle with pushing and pulling, and she's been helping me identify the right muscles and strengthen muscles in my pelvic floor," she says.

2. Practice Kegel exercises.

Once you’ve located your pelvic floor muscles, here’s the recommended Kegel routine:[9]

  1. Tighten the muscles for three to five seconds, then relax them for the same amount of time. Relaxing is just as important as contracting. Begin with one set of 10 squeezes per day.
  2. Gradually work up to holding each contraction for 10 seconds as your muscles get stronger.
  3. Try to work up to three sets of 20 repetitions daily.

Don’t get frustrated if you’re nowhere close to that goal when you start. Quality is much more important than doing lots of Kegels incorrectly. And remember: These are muscles like any other in your body. With time and consistent practice, they can get stronger.

"Kegels work, just be consistent," advises Community member pe-oc4. "It takes time, but you'll feel stronger."

When to do Kegel exercises during pregnancy and postpartum

It’s never too early to start doing Kegels, but the earlier and more regularly you practice them throughout pregnancy, the greater the potential benefits.

However, as you enter the third trimester, it becomes increasingly important to focus on learning to relax your pelvic floor as labor nears. Your pelvic floor muscles need to fully relax and stretch so they can make way for your little one to pass through.

To practice relaxing your pelvic floor, sit comfortably, take a few slow breaths and try visualization techniques — such as picturing a flower gently opening.

"I saw a pelvic floor therapist who suggested not to do Kegels because of how tense I am and instead gave me relaxation stretches to work on," says Community member mamastalls.

After you’ve delivered, you can restart your Kegel routine. Make it a habit to do them regularly — while, say, you’re feeding your baby — to stimulate circulation, promote healing, and improve muscle tone.

Don’t worry if you can’t feel yourself doing them initially. The perineum may be somewhat numb after birth, and your muscles have been stretched, which can make them harder to contract initially.

"They are pretty easy and you can do them watching TV or sitting at your work desk," says Community member MarisaT1121.

Just remember that it's always a good idea to talk with your practitioner or a pelvic floor physical therapist to make sure Kegels are the right exercise for your specific symptoms, both during pregnancy and postpartum, since some moms may benefit more from pelvic floor relaxation instead of strengthening. 

"It is really individualized," says Community mom wdmg10. "My sister was given very different exercises than I was because she had different issues than I did."

How long should you keep doing Kegels? If you want to keep your pelvic muscles in shape, many health care practitioners recommend making them a lifelong habit.

Keep track of your routines, symptoms, and appointments in the My Journal section of the What to Expect app, where you can also get more expert advice and connect with other expecting moms.

How to make Kegel exercises more fun

If you’re having trouble remembering to do your daily Kegels, or they just seem like a chore, there are a few ways to make them more interesting.

  • Try doing Kegels during sex, which can increase pleasure for both you and your partner. Your partner can also use a clean finger to check whether you’re tightening the right muscles.
  • If you prefer to practice on your own, try a smartphone app. A number of options send you daily reminders, track your exercise habits, and even guide you through routines.
  • There are also devices known as vaginal exercisers that claim to help you isolate and strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Some are cone-shaped and held in place by your tightened muscles, while others provide electrical stimulation. While these may help some women, they can also introduce bacteria into the vagina — so skip them if you’re pregnant or recovering from childbirth, and check with your doctor first before trying one for the first time.

Your pelvic floor muscles do a lot of work during pregnancy, labor, and recovery — so giving them a little attention now can go a long way. With a few minutes of Kegels each day (and guidance from your practitioner if needed), you can help support your body through pregnancy and beyond.