Best apps for stress incontinence: support for leaks when you cough, sneeze or exercise

What an app can help with

A cough, a sneeze, the last few minutes of a run: leaks during effort are the pattern usually described as stress incontinence. Here, “stress” refers to physical pressure. If the main problem is a sudden need to pee, our bladder diary comparison answers a different question. Some people experience both.

Once you have an appropriate exercise plan, an app can help you follow it. The useful questions are whether you can match the routine, follow the prompts and keep returning to it. Choosing an app doesn't establish what is causing your symptoms.

Squeezy: following your routine

Consider it when you want a straightforward way to follow exercises agreed with a pelvic health specialist. Squeezy offers reminders, visual and audio prompts, exercise records and a professional mode for adjusting the plan.

That adjustability matters more here than having a large exercise library. If you've been given particular hold and rest times, check that you can represent them in the app. The useful routine is the one that fits your plan, not necessarily the next level on a progress screen.

The UK iPhone price is £3.99. Squeezy's website also links to Android. Buying the consumer app doesn't automatically share your records with a clinician: Squeezy Connect is a separate service-linked product. Ask your service whether it provides access before paying.

A reminder can help you start a set. It cannot tell you whether you've found the right muscles. One person already using Squeezy described that distinction:

I’ve been using the Squeezy app, but I’m never sure if I’m strengthening the right muscles.

Anonymous Redditor, r/PregnancyUK discussion

This is one person's uncertainty, not a verdict on Squeezy. If it sounds familiar, an assessment is more useful than shopping for a harder exercise.

Happy Floor: narration and Control

Consider it when you want someone to lead the session and help you focus on the exercise. Happy Floor combines narrated sessions, the Daily Squeeze, tutorials and a progression plan. A friendly voice does the counting, which may suit you better than watching a timer.

Control is a distinct part of that experience. It guides submaximal pelvic floor contractions, meaning less than your maximum effort, with a full release between each contraction. That gives you structured practice of graded effort and release as well as a session to follow. Full release is part of the instruction; the app doesn't measure whether you achieve it.

If your clinician has given you a specific routine, check how the available sessions fit it. A general progression plan and an individually prescribed programme are different things. Control also doesn't establish that contracting is appropriate when you have pain or difficulty relaxing.

Happy Floor is free to download on iPhone, with a subscription for full access. Check the current in-app offer. We make Happy Floor, and think narration and Control are useful reasons to consider it; we haven't established that it produces better clinical outcomes than the other options.

Explore Happy Floor on the App Store.

Kegel Trainer: discreet cues

Consider it when you prefer short sessions and a quiet prompt. This is Kegel Trainer PFM Exercises by Olson Applications, rather than one of the similarly named products.

Its published features include visual, audio and vibration cues, reminders and routine tracking. A vibration may fit a moment when you don't want narration. Check the hold and rest settings against your plan and which features require payment.

There are iPhone and Android versions, with paid upgrades. Store listings alone don't establish how much of the routine a new user can keep using free, and features can differ between platforms.

Perifit Care: sensor feedback

Consider it when feedback during practice is a specific preference and an internal device is suitable for you. Perifit Care connects to a phone and uses contractions to control games. That provides information during the exercise, unlike a timer simply moving on to the next instruction.

The original Care device is £119, with a free companion app. Care+ is a separate model. Allow for cleaning, insertion, connection and calibration; it needs a different kind of time and privacy from opening a reminder app.

Perifit's guidance advises against device use during pregnancy and sets conditions for returning after birth. Read those before buying. An optional device is not a required first step for everyone with leaks.

Elvie Trainer, listed at £169, is another sensor option, with visual targets rather than Perifit's games. Our general comparison covers the format and setup differences. We have not found evidence here that the higher price makes it a better choice for stress leakage.

Free guidance and a phone reminder

Consider this if you mainly need help remembering a routine you already understand. The NHS provides free written information and an exercise video. Your phone can supply the reminder.

You organise the schedule and record yourself. That may be enough, and avoids another subscription. It still doesn't check technique or replace an individual plan.

Will feedback make the exercise more effective?

Feedback can be appealing when the movement is difficult to see. But motivation, measurement and treatment benefit are separate questions. The NHS describes limited good evidence for an additional benefit from biofeedback, while noting it may motivate some people.

Evidence supporting pelvic floor muscle training doesn't automatically prove that a particular app is better than another. These recommendations compare features and preferences; they aren't a ranking of cure rates.

What if you leak when you run?

An app can help you follow pelvic floor exercises, but it can't assess your symptoms or decide whether your current running programme is appropriate. If running remains difficult, bring that specific goal to your pelvic health physiotherapist. “I want to run comfortably” is a more useful conversation than simply asking for a harder level.

If exercises hurt, release feels difficult, or you're unsure what you're doing, seek guidance rather than adding more contractions. Our Pelvic Floor Problems 101 guide explores why pelvic floor symptoms aren't all the same. For everyday accounts of returning to activity, explore Why Mums Don't Jump.

Before choosing

Check routine settings, rest cues, the actual free allowance and any renewal price. For hardware, add suitability, compatibility and returns. If the routine is already clear, choose the format you'll want to use: adjustable prompts, discreet cues, narration and Control, or sensor games.

For the other comparisons, find an app for your pelvic health, including support after birth.