MoVo-guided Traditional Chinese Kegel Exercises for Preventing Postpartum Urinary Incontinence.

July 29, 2026 updated by: Yu xin Qian

A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of MoVo-guided Liuzijue Combined With Traditional Levator Ani Exercise During Pregnancy for Preventing Postpartum Urinary Incontinence.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether a prenatal exercise program integrating Liuzijue qigong with traditional levator ani training, guided by the MoVo (Motivation-Volition) theory and delivered via a supervised mobile application, can effectively prevent postpartum urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in pregnant women, compared with app-supervised conventional Kegel exercises and routine prenatal care.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the integrated Liuzijue-and-levator-ani program reduce the incidence of postpartum urinary incontinence and prolapse more effectively than app-supervised Kegel exercises or routine care?

Can the MoVo-based behavioural framework (motivation enhancement, action planning, and self-monitoring) improve long-term adherence to pelvic floor training during pregnancy and the postpartum period?

What are the effects of the three interventions on pelvic floor muscle function, exercise self-efficacy, anxiety levels, and delivery outcomes?

Researchers will compare three parallel groups: (1) the integrated Liuzijue-and-levator-ani exercise group, (2) the app-supervised conventional Kegel exercise group, and (3) the routine care control group receiving only verbal instruction on pelvic floor exercises during standard prenatal visits. All three groups will be followed from enrolment through 6 weeks postpartum to determine whether the culturally adapted mind-body intervention offers superior pelvic floor protection beyond app-delivered Kegel training and routine care.

Participants will:

Be enrolled in the third trimester and randomly assigned to one of the three groups.

In the integrated exercise group, perform daily combined Liuzijue-and-levator-ani exercises via a supervised mobile app and attend periodic check-ins until 6 weeks postpartum.

In the app-supervised Kegel group, perform daily conventional Kegel exercises via the same mobile app platform with the same supervision schedule.

In the routine care group, receive only standard verbal instructions on Kegel exercises during regular antenatal check-ups, without app supervision.

Undergo outcome evaluations at enrolment, before delivery, and at the postpartum follow-up visit, including assessments of urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, exercise adherence, self-efficacy, anxiety, and any adverse events.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
135

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 19 years
  • Singleton pregnancy with cephalic presentation；
  • No absolute contraindications to vaginal delivery；
  • No history of urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, or pelvic floor surgery before pregnancy；
  • Ability and willingness to comply with the full prenatal and postpartum follow-up schedule；
  • Signed written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of second- or third-trimester miscarriage, recurrent miscarriage, or spontaneous preterm birth；
  • Presence of pregnancy complications, such as severe preeclampsia, fetal distress, placenta previa, placental abruption, or symptoms of threatened preterm labour；
  • Contraindications to exercise, including cervical shortening, cervical insufficiency, or unexplained vaginal bleeding or fluid leakage；
  • Comorbid conditions, such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or thyroid disease；
  • Metabolic bone disease or limited joint mobility；
  • Cognitive or psychiatric disorders that prevent the participant from completing diary records；
  • Concurrent participation in another pelvic floor intervention study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: control group
Routine prenatal care with only verbal instructions on Kegel exercises (no app, no supervision).
Behavioral: Routine Verbal Instruction Group
Routine prenatal care with only verbal instructions on Kegel exercises (no app, no supervision)
Experimental: App-Kegel group
App-supervised daily conventional Kegel exercises (same platform, no Liuzijue/MoVo).
Behavioral: App-Supervised Kegel Exercise Group
App-supervised daily conventional Kegel exercises (same platform, no Liuzijue/MoVo).
Experimental: TCM comprehensive group
App-supervised daily Liuzijue combined with levator ani training, guided by MoVo theory.
Behavioral: Liuzijue & Levator Ani Training Group
App-supervised daily Liuzijue combined with levator ani training, guided by MoVo theory.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of participants with urinary incontinence at 42 days postpartum, assessed by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF)
Time Frame: 42 days postpartum
The ICIQ-UI SF is a validated, self-administered questionnaire that evaluates the frequency, volume, and impact of urinary incontinence (UI) over the previous 4 weeks. Total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. This outcome is defined as the proportion of participants reporting any urine leakage (score ≥1) on the ICIQ-UI SF at the 42-day postpartum follow-up. The chi-square test will be used to compare the incidence of urinary incontinence between the intervention and control groups.
42 days postpartum

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adherence to the antenatal exercise intervention, assessed by exercise diary completion rate
Time Frame: at 3 months post-intervention
Adherence is evaluated by two combined measures: (1) exercise diary completion rate = (actual number of training sets completed / planned number of training sets) × 100%; and (2) the proportion of participants who perform active training on at least 4 days per week, with each training day defined as completing at least 50% of the planned sets. The mean adherence rate and the proportion of adherent participants will be reported for the intervention group.
at 3 months post-intervention
Pelvic floor muscle strength assessed by the Modified Oxford Grading Scale.
Time Frame: 42 days postpartum
The Modified Oxford Grading Scale evaluates pelvic floor muscle contraction strength via vaginal palpation, with grades ranging from 0 (no contraction) to 5 (strong contraction). Median and interquartile range will be reported for each group, and the Mann-Whitney U test will be used for comparison.
42 days postpartum
Change in self-efficacy for pelvic floor exercises, assessed by the Pelvic Floor Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale
Time Frame: Enrolment, 37 weeks of gestation, 42 days postpartum
The Pelvic Floor Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale is a validated self-report instrument that measures the participant's confidence in adhering to pelvic floor exercise. Total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy. Assessments will be performed at three time points: enrolment, 37 weeks of gestation, and 42 days postpartum. Mean ± standard deviation of scores and change from baseline will be reported for each group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to compare differences between groups.
Enrolment, 37 weeks of gestation, 42 days postpartum

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Yu xin Qian

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: ming M Yang, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 31, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • GDSHLXHYJYB202608

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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