Kegels During Pregnancy – What the Latest Research Says
Sara French, ACSM CPT, NASM CNC
October 4th, 2024
What Are Kegels?
If you have ever been pregnant, you’ve probably been told to “do your kegels!”, but what are they? Kegels are a pelvic floor muscle exercise in which you tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor and then relax them. You may be coached to hold the contraction for a certain amount of time before relaxing or just squeeze and immediately release (sometimes called “quick flicks”). While they are incredibly effective at helping many pelvic floor symptoms, there are also situations when they are not helpful. Getting a more comprehensive exam by a qualified pelvic health physical therapist will equip you with more tools to prepare your body and pelvic floor for labor and delivery, including if doing kegels is right for you at this time.
Kegels are traditionally performed during pregnancy to help improve the function of your pelvic floor, but what is the pelvic floor? If your core is like a mason jar, the bottom of the jar is your pelvic floor. This group of muscles is designed to support the weight of the organs in your pelvis. Strengthening the pelvic floor during pregnancy may help you learn how to connect with those muscles better during labor and delivery. Some studies show that having a strong pelvic floor can help decrease urinary leakage, and reduce symptoms of pelvic heaviness.
Here’s the Kick
Not all women would benefit from doing kegels every day. Kegels help to strengthen the pelvic floor. During labor, it is the uterus that contracts to push your baby out. For this to happen, the pelvic floor needs to relax and move out of the way. If you are only practicing contracting the pelvic floor and not relaxing it, this can make labor more challenging. Muscles need to be able to move through their full range of motion.
Women experiencing symptoms of pelvic pain, pain with sex, and/or constipation should avoid doing kegels until consulting with their OBGYN or pelvic health physical therapist. A physical therapist will be able to assess the cause of your symptoms, your ability to correctly perform a pelvic floor contraction and relaxation, and then give you exercises and stretches to help prepare your pelvic floor for labor.
Additional Exercises to Try
In addition or pelvic floor specific exercises, incorporating functional training and full body strength workouts into your routine will result in other health benefits for you and your baby. I recommend practicing diaphragmatic breathing regularly. It can be done during any trimester, including immediately postpartum, and in any position. Diaphragmatic breathing promotes full body relaxation and can help your brain to connect with your pelvic floor.
Some of my favorite daily stretches are:
- Child’s Pose*
- Deep Seated Squat*
- Cat/Cow
- Runner’s Lunge*
*NOTE: If you have a history of hip pain or current hip pain, these stretches may make your symptoms worse and should be avoided until consulting with a healthcare professional.
Some of my favorite lower body strength exercises are:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Reverse Lunge
- Glute Bridge
As you can see, preparing your pelvic floor for labor is very nuanced and is so much more involved than simply doing or not doing kegels. The body works together as a unit, never in isolation. Try some of these stretches and exercises during your next workout and watch how amazed you will be at the results! Remember, there is no better time to start than right now. Your body and your baby will thank you. You got this!
Sources
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22870-hypertonic-pelvic-floor