The muscles of the pelvic floor begin to weaken after 40 in almost all women, regardless of whether they have had children or not. Estrogen drops, tone drops, and the result is the familiar symptoms - drops of urine when coughing, sneezing or running, a feeling of heaviness or insecurity in the pelvic region. Gynaecologists do not present this as a catastrophe, but as one of the most predictable processes of ageing. The question is simple - either you do something, or you don't.

Kegel exercises - named after the American gynaecologist Arnold Kegel, who popularised them in the 1940s - are the most direct answer. It is not a new thing. It is just a thing that almost no one does consistently. According to Dr Belén Gómez, a gynaecologist quoted in the Spanish source: „With ageing and the drop in estrogen, the tone of pelvic-floor muscles decreases. The routine performance of strengthening exercises helps reduce the severity of tone loss."

The technique is banal, and that is exactly where the problem sits - people think banal means unimportant. You lie on the floor, you lift the pelvis, you squeeze the muscles for 3-5 seconds, you relax for 3-5 seconds, you repeat 10 times. That is one set. Three sets a day, every day. No equipment, no gym, no money for a nutritionist. You can do them in the queue at the supermarket, on the bus, or watching a TV series. There is no excuse here that has anything to do with time or money.

What to watch: correctly identifying the muscles. Many women doing Kegels actually clench the muscles of the buttocks or abdomen - that defeats the exercise. A simple test - the next time you urinate, try to stop the flow mid-stream. The muscles that activate are the pelvic-floor muscles. It is not recommended to do this regularly (it can cause infections), only once for identification.

High-intensity exercises - running, jumping, CrossFit - are not forbidden after 40, but they come with a condition. The gynaecologist explains: „High-intensity exercises practised chronically can increase pressure on the pelvic floor." The solution is balance - if you run three times a week, do Kegels all seven days. If you notice leakage or discomfort, then it is time to switch to hypopressive exercises or a supervised Pilates routine with a professional.

For a Balkan woman, the context matters. With us, gynaecological conversations about the pelvic floor are still treated as something shameful - not a topic at the table, not a topic for the doctor (unless there is already a problem), not part of routine prevention. The result is generations of women who quietly endure symptoms that could have been avoided with 5 minutes a day. Kegel exercises are neither a fashion nor a new fitness trend. They are a basic anatomical thing that men have never had on their agenda. Time to change that.