Effects of a Prenatal Teaching Program on Postpartum Regeneration of the Pubococcygeal Muscle

Abstract

A quasi-experimental design was used to compare postpartum perineometer readings of an experimental group of 32 women receiving a prenatal teaching program for the use of Kegel exercises with a control group of 30 women for whom the instructional program was omitted. All subjects received postpartum instruction from a pre-existing program presented by hospital staff. Significantly higher mean postpartum perineometer readings (t = 4.07; P < .01) were found for the experimental group than for the control group, which supported the hypothesis that women who are offered the prenatal program for the use of Kegel exercises during the third trimester of pregnancy and are instructed on Kegel exercises by the staff during the hospitalized postpartum period will have significantly higher readings on the perineometer at the postpartum visit than those women for whom the prenatal program is omitted.