PELVIC FLOOR YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH OVERACTIVE BLADDER-WET: A SUBGROUP ANALYSIS OF A MULTISITE RANDOMIZED TRIAL
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Urology, Stanford University
- 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University
- 3Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California
- 4Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, San Francisco, California
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Pelvic floor yoga has been proposed as a community-based therapeutic modality for disruptive overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms such as urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) and urinary frequency, but evidence of its efficacy is limited. We examined the efficacy of pelvic floor yoga versus nonspecific physical conditioning exercise for managing OAB-wet symptoms in women. METHODS: We present a prespecified subgroup analysis of women with OAB-wet in a multicenter trial involving randomization to 12 weeks of group instruction and self-directed practice of pelvic floor yoga techniques versus time-equivalent instruction and practice of skeletal muscle conditioning exercises. Linear mixed models examined changes in OAB symptoms over 6 and 12 weeks assessed by diary and the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6). RESULTS: Among 140 women with OAB-wet (71 randomized to pelvic floor yoga, 69 to physical conditioning), mean baseline UUI frequency was 2.8 (± 1.9) episodes/day. Average UUI frequency decreased by 1.9 episodes/day in the yoga and 1.6 episodes/day in the physical conditioning group over 6 and 12 weeks (nonsignificant between-group difference of -0.3 episodes/day [95% CI -0.7, 0.2]). UDI-6 scores decreased by 10.3 points with yoga and 3.3 with physical conditioning, although neither within-group change was significant. The between-group difference was -7.1 [95% CI -12.2, -1.8]), favoring yoga. Modestly greater improvements in daytime voiding were observed with yoga (between-group difference -0.7 episodes/day [95% CI -1.4, -0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Women with OAB-wet symptoms reported improvement from both pelvic floor yoga and general physical conditioning exercise, with yoga showing modestly greater reductions in urinary distress and daytime voiding frequency.
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BibTeX
@article{enemchukwu2026pelvic,
title = {{PELVIC FLOOR YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH OVERACTIVE BLADDER-WET: A SUBGROUP ANALYSIS OF A MULTISITE RANDOMIZED TRIAL}},
author = {Ekene Enemchukwu and Leslee L. Subak and Nadra E. Lisha and Michael Schembri and Margaret Chesney and Alison J. Huang},
journal = {International urogynecology journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s00192-026-06929-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-026-06929-5},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - PELVIC FLOOR YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH OVERACTIVE BLADDER-WET: A SUBGROUP ANALYSIS OF A MULTISITE RANDOMIZED TRIAL
AU - Ekene Enemchukwu
AU - Leslee L. Subak
AU - Nadra E. Lisha
AU - Michael Schembri
AU - Margaret Chesney
AU - Alison J. Huang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - International urogynecology journal
DO - 10.1007/s00192-026-06929-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-026-06929-5
AB - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Pelvic floor yoga has been proposed as a community-based therapeutic modality for disruptive overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms such as urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) and urinary frequency, but evidence of its efficacy is limited. We examined the efficacy of pelvic floor yoga versus nonspecific physical conditioning exercise for managing OAB-wet symptoms in women. METHODS: We present a prespecified subgroup analysis of women with OAB-wet in a multicenter trial involving randomization to 12 weeks of group instruction and self-directed practice of pelvic floor yoga techniques versus time-equivalent instruction and practice of skeletal muscle conditioning exercises. Linear mixed models examined changes in OAB symptoms over 6 and 12 weeks assessed by diary and the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6). RESULTS: Among 140 women with OAB-wet (71 randomized to pelvic floor yoga, 69 to physical conditioning), mean baseline UUI frequency was 2.8 (± 1.9) episodes/day. Average UUI frequency decreased by 1.9 episodes/day in the yoga and 1.6 episodes/day in the physical conditioning group over 6 and 12 weeks (nonsignificant between-group difference of -0.3 episodes/day [95% CI -0.7, 0.2]). UDI-6 scores decreased by 10.3 points with yoga and 3.3 with physical conditioning, although neither within-group change was significant. The between-group difference was -7.1 [95% CI -12.2, -1.8]), favoring yoga. Modestly greater improvements in daytime voiding were observed with yoga (between-group difference -0.7 episodes/day [95% CI -1.4, -0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Women with OAB-wet symptoms reported improvement from both pelvic floor yoga and general physical conditioning exercise, with yoga showing modestly greater reductions in urinary distress and daytime voiding frequency.
SN - 0937-3462
SN - 1433-3023
ER -