Kegels: How to Know You're Doing Them Right
SaveA correct kegel gently lifts and squeezes the muscles you would use to stop urine or hold in gas, then fully relaxes them, without tightening the belly, buttocks, or thighs or holding your breath. Fewer leaks and better control over several weeks are the signs that your kegels are working.
Last updated: July 2026
Am I doing kegels right? How can you tell?
A correct kegel is a gentle lift-and-squeeze of the muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine or keep from passing gas, followed by a full release. A true contraction feels like a subtle inward-and-upward motion around the vagina and anus, not a push down.
According to obstetric and gynecologic guidance, the belly, buttocks, thighs, and breath should stay relaxed while only the pelvic floor works 1Ref 1American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2015).ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 155: Urinary Incontinence in Women.Guidance that pelvic floor muscle training is first-line for urinary incontinence and how to correctly contract the pelvic floor without using other muscles. A quick self-check is to place a clean finger at the vaginal opening and feel for a light squeeze and lift, and practicing while lying down at first makes the movement easier to isolate. Feeling a bearing-down instead usually means the wrong muscles are working, the single most common kegel mistake.
What are the most common kegel mistakes?
Bearing down as if to have a bowel movement is the top error, and it can worsen symptoms by straining a floor that needs lifting instead. Other frequent mistakes include holding the breath, squeezing the glutes or inner thighs, and never fully relaxing between repetitions.
Doing too many is also a problem, because a tight, overactive pelvic floor can develop from constant squeezing. Rushing through repetitions without a full release is another way progress stalls. According to a systematic review, technique quality strongly affects whether pelvic floor muscle training works 2Ref 2Balk E, Adam GP, Kimmel H, Rofeberg V, Saeed I, Jeppson P, Trikalinos T (2018).Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review Update.Systematic-review evidence that technique and correct pelvic floor muscle contraction affect whether nonsurgical training for incontinence works. If kegels increase pain or urgency rather than easing them, that is a signal to stop and reassess rather than push through.
How do you know if kegels are working?
Results, not the sensation during each squeeze, are the real measure of progress. Over several weeks, working kegels show up as fewer leaks with coughing or exercise, less urgency, and better ability to hold on the way to a toilet.
A Cochrane review found that supervised pelvic floor muscle training over at least 3 months improves urinary incontinence for many women, with programs typically asking 5 to 10 minutes of practice most days 3Ref 3Dumoulin C, Cacciari LP, Hay-Smith EJC (2018).Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women.Evidence that supervised pelvic floor muscle training over months improves urinary incontinence, supporting results-based signs that kegels are working. Keeping a simple leak diary makes change easier to see, and comparing week one to week eight often shows the trend more honestly than memory. If 12 weeks of honest, consistent practice bring no improvement, technique or the wrong diagnosis, such as a tight rather than weak floor, is the likely reason 3Ref 3Dumoulin C, Cacciari LP, Hay-Smith EJC (2018).Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women.Evidence that supervised pelvic floor muscle training over months improves urinary incontinence, supporting results-based signs that kegels are working.
Do kegels differ during pregnancy and menopause?
Life stage changes both the payoff and the approach to kegels. During and after pregnancy, training helps prevent and treat leaking, and starting in pregnancy lowers the odds of postpartum incontinence, though a healing tear may need a gentler start past the 6 week checkup 4Ref 4Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. (2020).Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women.Evidence that pelvic floor muscle training during and after pregnancy prevents and treats urinary incontinence.
Around the perimenopausal transition near 50, thinning tissues can add dryness and urgency, and kegels help while other treatments address the estrogen side 5Ref 5The North American Menopause Society (Menopause Society) (2020).The 2020 genitourinary syndrome of menopause position statement of The North American Menopause Society.Genitourinary syndrome of menopause and that urinary and pelvic symptoms after menopause are treatable, supporting pairing training with tissue-directed care. According to menopause guidance from the professional society, pelvic and urinary symptoms after menopause are treatable, and pairing training with care for the tissues works better than exercises alone 5Ref 5The North American Menopause Society (Menopause Society) (2020).The 2020 genitourinary syndrome of menopause position statement of The North American Menopause Society.Genitourinary syndrome of menopause and that urinary and pelvic symptoms after menopause are treatable, supporting pairing training with tissue-directed care. Gentle, consistent practice tuned to the stage tends to outperform an all-or-nothing push.
When kegel troubles need a clinician
A clinician's help is worthwhile when weeks of practice bring no change, or when kegels make symptoms worse. Uncertainty about whether you are finding the right muscles is itself a good reason to ask, because studies show many people contract incorrectly on verbal instruction alone 2Ref 2Balk E, Adam GP, Kimmel H, Rofeberg V, Saeed I, Jeppson P, Trikalinos T (2018).Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review Update.Systematic-review evidence that technique and correct pelvic floor muscle contraction affect whether nonsurgical training for incontinence works.
A pelvic floor physical therapist can confirm your technique by feel, add biofeedback, and correct errors, often through pelvic floor physical therapy 2Ref 2Balk E, Adam GP, Kimmel H, Rofeberg V, Saeed I, Jeppson P, Trikalinos T (2018).Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review Update.Systematic-review evidence that technique and correct pelvic floor muscle contraction affect whether nonsurgical training for incontinence works. If leaks persist, guided bladder-control care or an assessment for a weak versus tight pelvic floor can point the way 3Ref 3Dumoulin C, Cacciari LP, Hay-Smith EJC (2018).Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women.Evidence that supervised pelvic floor muscle training over months improves urinary incontinence, supporting results-based signs that kegels are working. Gale can help you prepare for that visit.
Common questions
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Say it back
How would you explain this to someone you love?
Two or three sentences, just as you’d say it. Gale reflects back what you focused on — a mirror, not a quiz.
When kegels are not the answer
- —Kegels that consistently increase pelvic pain or urinary urgency are a reason to seek clinician review
- —Weeks of correct, consistent practice with no improvement in leaking is a reason to seek clinician review
- —A bulge or feeling that something is falling out of the vagina is a reason to seek gynecologic review
- —New trouble emptying the bladder or bowel is a reason to seek same-day clinician review
This article is general health education, not medical advice. Whether kegels fit your situation and how to do them should be confirmed with a pelvic floor physical therapist, gynecologist, or urogynecologist who can check your technique.
References
- 1.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2015). ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 155: Urinary Incontinence in Women. Obstetrics & Gynecology. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001148 ✓Guidance that pelvic floor muscle training is first-line for urinary incontinence and how to correctly contract the pelvic floor without using other muscles
- 2.Balk E, Adam GP, Kimmel H, Rofeberg V, Saeed I, Jeppson P, Trikalinos T (2018). Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review Update. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). PMID 30516945 ✓Systematic-review evidence that technique and correct pelvic floor muscle contraction affect whether nonsurgical training for incontinence works
- 3.Dumoulin C, Cacciari LP, Hay-Smith EJC (2018). Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub4 ✓Evidence that supervised pelvic floor muscle training over months improves urinary incontinence, supporting results-based signs that kegels are working
- 4.Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. (2020). Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007471.pub4 ✓Evidence that pelvic floor muscle training during and after pregnancy prevents and treats urinary incontinence
- 5.The North American Menopause Society (Menopause Society) (2020). The 2020 genitourinary syndrome of menopause position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001609 ✓Genitourinary syndrome of menopause and that urinary and pelvic symptoms after menopause are treatable, supporting pairing training with tissue-directed care
5 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice. AI-assisted editorial content — every citation independently verified. Editorial policy