The short explanation
Pelvic floor exercises can help many women with leaking after childbirth. To find the muscles, imagine stopping yourself from passing wind and stopping urine flow at the same time. Squeeze and lift those muscles, hold for a few seconds, then fully relax. Also practise quick squeezes. Breathe normally and avoid tightening your thighs, buttocks or tummy. Doing them regularly every day for several months gives the best results. Improvement is often gradual.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Do not practise by repeatedly stopping urine on the toilet, as that can interfere with bladder emptying.
- Many women are unsure if they are doing them correctly. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can check and guide you, and some government hospitals have physiotherapy departments.
- If leaking does not improve after a few months of exercises, other treatments are available.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot tell whether you are using the right muscles or whether other problems are present. An examination can help.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Am I doing pelvic floor exercises correctly?
- Can I see a pelvic floor physiotherapist?
- What else can help if exercises are not enough?
- Could there be a prolapse?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, a high fever with shivering, chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
Get help the same day
- Get seen the same day if you have burning urine with fever or cannot pass urine.
Book an appointment soon
- See a doctor within a few weeks if leaking is getting worse.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Review progress at a routine visit after a few months of exercises.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Urinary incontinence NHS
- Urinary incontinence MedlinePlus (NIH)
- Pelvic floor disorders MedlinePlus (NIH)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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