Incontinence 6 to 12 months postpartum: why it's worth getting help
Many women still leak 6 to 12 months after birth, yet most never ask for help. Your tissues have recovered, so leaking now reflects pelvic floor function you can train.
Updated ·Written by the Dr. Kegel editorial team · clinical review pending
Short answer
Common, but not something to accept. Many women still leak between 6 and 12 months after birth, yet in a Dutch study only a quarter of women who leaked sought professional help. By now your tissues have healed, so leaking reflects pelvic floor function you can train. A physical therapist assessment is worth booking now.
women who leaked urine between 6 weeks and 1 year after birth sought professional help — even though 38% found their leaking bothersome
What’s happening in your body at 6–12 months
Between six months and a year after birth, most of the “recovery” that happens without effort has already happened. Scars are mature, the pelvic tissues have remodeled, and nerve recovery is largely complete. What changes from here depends much more on what you do.
A few things are common in this window:
- Weaning and periods returning. As breastfeeding slows, estrogen rises again. Some women notice drier, more sensitive tissues improving, and leaks easing with them.
- A heavier, more mobile baby. Lifting a 20 lb (9 kg) child from the floor dozens of times a day is a serious pelvic floor workout — or a serious pelvic floor test.
- Back to full life. Work, sport, running, maybe planning another pregnancy.
- Different kinds of leaking. Stress leaking (with pressure) is still the most common type, but urgency — a sudden, hard-to-delay need to pee — can become more noticeable now.
What’s normal at 6–12 months — and what isn’t
In a Dutch study of women between 6 weeks and one year after birth, more than half reported some leaking, and 38% of those found it bothersome. Yet only a quarter of women who leaked sought professional help (Moossdorff-Steinhauser et al.). Many believed it was just part of having a baby.
Common, and trainable: leaks with coughing, sneezing, running, jumping or heavy lifting; leaks when very tired; occasional urgency with coffee or a full bladder.
Not something to wait on: leaking with walking or everyday movement; urgency that makes you leak before you reach the toilet; vaginal bulge or heaviness; bowel leakage; pain with sex; leaking that’s getting worse.
The honest message at this stage: leaking that is still there at six months is unlikely to vanish without targeted work. The good news is that it’s rarely too late for that work to help.
Find out which kind of leaking you have
Different leaks need different training:
- Stress leaking (cough, jump, lift): strength, speed and timing of the pelvic floor — plus whole-body strength.
- Urgency leaking (sudden need, can’t wait): bladder habits and calming the urge — see below.
- Tight or painful pelvic floor: relaxation first, then strength. The tight or weak? check helps you decide which comes first.
A three-day bladder diary shows how often you pee, what you drink, and when you leak. Bring it to any appointment — it saves a lot of guesswork.
Training for months 6–12
Stress leaking — progress to real-life load:
- Daily: 10 strong 10-second holds and 10 quick flicks, including sets standing and in a squat.
- 2–3 times a week: squats, deadlifts, lunges, carries and step-ups with gradually heavier weights, lifting the pelvic floor as you exhale on effort.
- For impact sports: small hops and skipping first, then running intervals, then jumping. If a level causes leaks, stay there longer.
Urgency — calm the bladder:
- When an urge hits, stop, stand or sit still, and do 5 quick squeezes. Breathe slowly. Walk to the toilet once it fades.
- Don’t pee “just in case” every hour. Gradually stretch the time between trips.
- Notice irritants: caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks make urges worse for many people. Drink enough water — concentrated urine irritates the bladder too.
Get the help most women skip
NICE recommends at least three months of supervised pelvic floor training for women with stress leaking; for urgency, bladder training is the usual first step. A pelvic floor physical therapist can check whether you’re contracting correctly, look for prolapse, and tailor load to your sport. If it’s hard to get an appointment soon, start your home program now and bring your diary when you go.
Planning another pregnancy? Leaking before and during pregnancy is linked to leaking afterward, so strength you build now is an investment in your next recovery.
Plan for your week
A five-minute daily pelvic floor base, two strength sessions with gradually heavier loads, a three-day bladder diary, and one phone call to book an assessment. Next stage: leaking 1 year postpartum and later.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to still leak 9 months after giving birth?
It's common, but it isn't something you have to live with. In a Dutch study of women between 6 weeks and a year after birth, over half reported some leaking, and 38% of them found it bothersome. By this stage, targeted pelvic floor training — ideally supervised — is the best next step.
Will leaking stop when I stop breastfeeding?
It may improve. Low estrogen while breastfeeding can make vaginal and bladder tissues thinner and more sensitive, and some women notice fewer leaks once periods return. But weaning rarely solves stress leaking on its own. Keep training, and if leaking hasn't eased a few months after weaning, get assessed.
Why don't more women get help for leaking after birth?
Many women believe leaking is a normal part of having a baby, feel embarrassed, or simply have no time. In the Dutch study, women who sought help were the ones most bothered. You don't need to wait until it's severe — a pelvic floor physical therapist can help with mild leaking too.
Should I get this sorted before another pregnancy?
It's a good idea. Pregnancy loads the pelvic floor again, and leaking that is present before or during pregnancy is linked to leaking afterward. Building strength now, and continuing pelvic floor training through your next pregnancy, gives your body the best start.
Sources
- Urinary incontinence 6 weeks to 1 year post-partum: prevalence, experience of bother, beliefs, and help-seeking behavior — International Urogynecology Journal, 2021
- Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management (NG210) — NICE, 2021
- Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women — Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
- The effect of urinary incontinence status during pregnancy and delivery mode on incontinence postpartum. A cohort study — BJOG, 2009
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.