Leaking urine 1 year postpartum or later: it's not too late to train
Leaking a year or more after birth is common and rarely goes away on its own. The good news: pelvic floor training helps at any age, and it's never too late to start.
Updated ·Written by the Dr. Kegel editorial team · clinical review pending
Short answer
It's common, but it isn't just "part of being a mom." Leaking that's still there a year after birth usually won't disappear on its own — a long-term study found most women leaking three months after birth still leaked 12 years later. The good news: pelvic floor training helps at any age, and it's never too late to start.
women who had urinary incontinence 3 months after birth were still leaking 12 years later in the ProLong cohort — over a third of all women had persistent leaking
Why leaking can last beyond the first year
By a year after birth, your body has finished healing. Leaking that remains is not a wound that’s still closing — it’s a mismatch between what your pelvic floor can do and what your day asks of it.
That mismatch can come from:
- Lasting changes from birth: stretched connective tissue around the bladder neck, a pelvic floor that was partly injured or detached, or nerves that didn’t fully recover.
- A muscle that never got retrained: many women stop doing kegels once the baby arrives, or never had their technique checked.
- Rising load: another pregnancy, a heavier toddler, a return to running or lifting, weight gain, constipation, a chronic cough.
- Hormones: from the late 30s and 40s, perimenopause can thin the tissues that help seal the urethra.
How long does postpartum leaking last?
The long-term ProLong study followed women for 12 years after birth. About three in four women who leaked three months after birth were still leaking 12 years later, and over a third of all women in the study had persistent leaking (MacArthur et al.). A newer Portuguese cohort also found leaking still common three years after birth.
That’s the honest picture: leaking that is still there after the first year rarely fades by waiting. But those studies describe what happens without targeted help. Pelvic floor training is still recommended as the first step for stress leaking, no matter when it started.
What’s normal — and what isn’t — a year or more after birth
Common, and trainable: leaking with coughing, sneezing, laughing, running, jumping or lifting; leaking that’s worse around your period or when you’re tired; mild urgency with coffee or a full bladder.
Worth a doctor’s visit: a vaginal bulge; leaking with everyday movement; strong urges that make you leak before you reach the toilet; bowel leakage; blood in your urine; straining to pee; any sudden change.
“Common” isn’t the same as “normal for you.” You’re allowed to want to jump on a trampoline with your kids without planning around it.
Your restart plan
Step 1 — Work out which way to train. Some women leak because the pelvic floor is weak. Others have a pelvic floor that’s tight and tired from years of bracing. The tight or weak? check points you to the right start.
Step 2 — Get a baseline. The pelvic floor strength self-test measures hold time, reps and quick flicks. A three-day bladder diary shows your triggers.
Step 3 — Train consistently for at least three months. NICE recommends at least three months of supervised training before judging results.
- Daily: 10 strong holds (up to 10 seconds), 10 quick flicks, in lying, sitting and standing.
- Squeeze before every cough, sneeze or lift until it’s automatic.
- 2–3 times a week: whole-body strength — squats, deadlifts, lunges, carries — with a pelvic floor lift on the exhale.
Step 4 — Add your activity back in steps. If leaking stops you exercising, you’re not alone: in a survey of 4,556 women with pelvic floor symptoms, almost half had stopped a form of exercise because of them. Use the activity pages for running, jumping and heavy lifting to build back gradually.
When training isn’t enough
If you’ve trained consistently for three months and leaking still limits you, see a pelvic floor physical therapist or a urogynecologist. Options can include supervised training with biofeedback, a vaginal support device (pessary) for exercise, and, for some women, surgery — often after they’ve finished having children. Many women use training alongside these options rather than instead of them.
Planning another pregnancy?
Leaking before and during pregnancy is linked to leaking after the next birth. Building strength now and continuing pelvic floor training through pregnancy gives your next recovery a better start. Tell your midwife or doctor about current leaking at your first appointment.
Plan for your week
Take the tight-or-weak check, do the strength test, start a daily 5-minute routine and one strength session. Book an assessment if leaking has been with you for more than a year — it’s never too late to start.
Frequently asked questions
Is it too late to do kegels 2 years after giving birth?
No. Pelvic floor muscles respond to training at any age, and guidance on stress leaking isn't limited to the postpartum year. NICE recommends at least three months of supervised pelvic floor training as the first step for women with stress leaking, whenever it started.
Why am I leaking more now than right after birth?
Several things can make leaking show up or worsen later: another pregnancy, returning to running or heavy training, weight gain, chronic cough or constipation, and the hormonal changes of perimenopause. Each adds load to the pelvic floor. Training works on the same principle: build capacity to match the load.
Does a c-section prevent long-term leaking?
It lowers the risk but doesn't rule it out. In the ProLong study, women who had only cesarean births were about half as likely to have persistent leaking as women with vaginal births — but a mix of cesarean and vaginal births was not protective. Pregnancy itself also affects the pelvic floor.
What are the options if pelvic floor training isn't enough?
A pelvic floor physical therapist can adjust your program and add tools like biofeedback. Vaginal support devices (pessaries) can reduce leaking during exercise. Some women consider surgery, often after they've finished having children. Your doctor can explain which options fit your situation.
Sources
- Urinary incontinence persisting after childbirth: extent, delivery history, and effects in a 12-year longitudinal cohort study — BJOG, 2016
- Long-term course and predictors of postpartum urinary incontinence: a three-year cohort in Portuguese women — World Journal of Urology, 2026
- Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management (NG210) — NICE, 2021
- Pelvic floor disorders stop women exercising: a survey of 4556 symptomatic women — Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2021
This page is general education about exercise, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. Talk to a clinician about symptoms that are new, severe or getting worse.