Can pilates help stop leakage? new study tests exercise approaches
NCT ID NCT07421531
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested three exercise programs for stress urinary incontinence in 78 women: Pilates alone, Pilates with voluntary pelvic floor contractions, and isolated pelvic floor training. Participants did 12 sessions over 6 weeks. The goal was to see which approach best reduces leakage and improves pelvic floor strength.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- exercise program (Pilates and/or pelvic floor muscle training)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that Pilates is an effective, non-invasive option for reducing stress urinary incontinence in women.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 78 participants, so results may not apply to all women. Exercise programs require consistent effort and may not work for everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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78 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Women ≥18 years * Self-reported stress urinary incontinence * Positive response to stress-related leakage question Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to read/respond to questionnaires * Urinary tract infection within last 2 weeks * Current smoking * Previous pelvic surgery (except cesarean section) * Previous pelvic radiotherapy * Neurological disease * Pelvic floor muscle strength grade 0-1 (Modified Oxford Scale) * Pregnancy or \<3 months postpartum
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Federal University of Uberlandia
Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, 30400-678, Brazil
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Could simple exercises ease the discomfort of stress incontinence?