Kegel Exercises To Prevent Incontinence In Third Trimester

Kegel exercise consists of repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles of the pelvic floor. It was first published by Dr. Arnold Kegel in 1948. The aim of the exercise is to improve muscle tone by intensification and strengthening the pubococcygeus muscles of the pelvic floor. Doctors would recommend kegel exercises to pregnant women for preparation to the physiological stresses during later stages of pregnancy and childbirth.

At a standstill, there have been questions on the effectiveness of Kegel exercises in preventing incontinence - predominantly the fecal variety. Researchers of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology conducted a study and assigned 855 women in their second trimester to either join a supervised exercise program or stick with schedule prenatal care. The schedule prenatal care includes standard advice to do Kegels and written information about them, but not active instruction.

Based on the report of chicagotribune.com, the exercise group had one weekly hour-long session of low-impact aerobic exercise and strength training, which includes Kegel exercises. The study lasted for twelve weeks of trial; the women were in their late pregnancy. The study revealed that about 11 percent of the exercisers said they had problems with urine leakage at least once a week as  compared with 19 percent of women in the control group. Thus, women who exercise and strengthen their pelvic muscles are less likely to have problems with urine leakage in their third trimester.