If you experience urge incontinence, regular pelvic floor training can help improve bladder control and reduce leaks. However, results vary from person to person. Understanding what influences your progress can help you get the most out of your Perifit Care(+) training.
What results can I expect and when?
Research studies show that pelvic floor muscle training can make a real difference for women experiencing urge incontinence and other types of urinary incontinence:
Around 2 out of 3 women who practise regular pelvic floor muscle training experience an improvement in their leakage symptoms.
Around 35% of women stop experiencing leaks entirely.
Women also report fewer daily leaks and an improved quality of life.
Some users start noticing the first improvements within 2–4 weeks, but it can take up to 10–12 weeks of regular training to see significant improvements.
Remember that progress takes time, and consistency is key!
What factors can influence my results?
Several factors can affect how quickly you notice improvements:
1. Training frequency
Regular training is essential. We recommend 5 sessions of 8 minutes per week.
Keep your sessions short and allow your pelvic floor muscles enough time to rest and recover. Training more often won't necessarily help you progress faster and could actually slow down your progress if your muscles become fatigued.
2. Kegel quality
Correctly engaging your pelvic floor muscles is just as important as training regularly.
You can practise with the Kegel Coach to make sure you're performing your contractions correctly. Also, pay attention to your Contraction Quality during games to monitor your technique.
3. Breaking old habits and creating new associations
Do you suddenly feel the urge to pee as soon as you put your key in the door? Or do you go to the toilet every hour, even when you don't actually feel the need to, just in case?
Repeating these behaviours can cause your brain to associate certain situations with the need to urinate, even when your bladder isn't full.
Try gradually changing these habits. For example:
When taking out your keys to open the door, distract yourself with a mental task, such as doing some calculations in your head.
If you regularly go to the toilet just in case, gradually increase the time between planned bathroom visits.
4. Other factors
If you're under 50 and don't notice any relief from your symptoms despite regular pelvic floor training, other factors may be contributing to your urge incontinence. These can include recurrent urinary tract infections, cysts or fibroids pressing on the bladder.
With age and menopause, urge incontinence can also develop without an obvious cause and may sometimes be helped with medication.
If you've been training regularly and have noticed improvements in your pelvic floor strength and endurance but no improvement in your leakage symptoms, your training data can be valuable information to share with your healthcare professional.
Remember: improving your pelvic floor strength is an important step, but urinary leakage can have several underlying causes. If your symptoms persist, a healthcare professional can help you identify the cause and explore other treatment options.