I’ve given birth three times. My mother says I’d better do Kegel exercises to avoid incontinence later. Is she right?

Kegel exercises, or squeezing the pelvic floor muscles to stop urinary flow, can help strengthen the pubococcygeal muscle which promotes continence. But a recent study suggests that this isn’t the only way to keep the pelvic muscles in good shape.

Researchers asked women to squeeze their deep abdominal muscles, to see whether this would activate the muscles of the pelvic floor. It did. In fact, women got as much of a contraction in the pelvic floor when they used their abs as when they tried to tighten the pelvic muscles alone.

It doesn’t hurt to do Kegel exercises. But this research suggests that you may strengthen your pelvic floor muscles just by using your abdominals and keeping active. Talk with your doctor about what kind of prevention he or she recommends in your case.