Kegel exercise

Kegel exercise
Kegel exercises diagram
Pronunciation	Kegel: /ˈkeɪɡəl, kiː-/
Other names	pelvic muscles exercise
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Kegel exercise, also known as pelvic floor exercise, involves repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles that form part of the pelvic floor, now sometimes colloquially referred to as the "Kegel muscles". The exercise can be performed many times a day, for several minutes at a time but takes one to three months to begin to have an effect.^[1]

Kegel exercises aim to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.^[2] These muscles have many functions within the human body. In women, they are responsible for holding up the bladder, preventing urinary stress incontinence (especially after childbirth), vaginal and uterine prolapse.^[3][4] In men, these muscles are responsible for urinary continence, fecal continence, and ejaculation.^[5][4] Several tools exist to help with these exercises, although various studies debate the relative effectiveness of different tools versus traditional exercises.^[6]

The American gynecologist Arnold Kegel first published a description of such exercises in 1948.^{[citation needed]}