Short letters. Real answers.
9 letters from Dr. Dana Kivlin, a board-certified urologist. Each one answers 1 question in 2 to 5 minutes, with its sources.
Topics: Pregnancy and postpartum · Kegels · Bladder leaks · Myths · Pelvic floor basics
Train before the baby
A Cochrane review of 11 trials found that training during pregnancy lowers the risk of leaks in late pregnancy by 22%. Here is how to start, and when to check first.
Six weeks is the start
Every trial behind Kegels ran 3 to 6 months. Here is the timeline the research supports, and the daily dose that gets you there.
Squeeze before you sneeze
A 1-second squeeze, timed right, cut leakage by 98% on a medium cough in one study. It is called the Knack. Here is how to learn it this week.
Stop stopping your pee
You have read this tip. As a urologist, I would retire it. Here is what your bladder does while you pee, and 3 better ways to find the muscle.
56 versus 6
56% of women who trained reported cure. 6% without training. This one comparison is why I built a class around a 5-minute habit.
Let go is half the exercise
Every rep has 2 halves: the lift and the let-go. Here is why I time the let-go at twice the lift, and a 2-minute drill to practice it.
Half of us squeeze wrong
In one study, 23 of 47 women did a correct Kegel after brief instructions. 12 pushed down instead. Here is how to land in the right group.
Meet your hammock
You use it every time you laugh, lift or sneeze. Here it is in 1 picture, with its 3 jobs and a 60-second way to feel it.
Common, and fixable
6 in 10 American women leaked in the past year. Leaks are common. Here is why that also makes them fixable.
1 letter a week from a urologist. Free.
Short, sourced and kind. Each Sunday, Dr. Dana sends the one thing she wants every woman to know about her pelvic floor.
- 1 ideaWhat the research says, in plain words, with its source.
- 1 exerciseA 2-minute move to try the same day.
- 1 questionA reader asks. Dr. Dana answers.
