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

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

135

Phase

  • 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

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

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
Intervention / Treatment
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

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

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

Yu xin Qian

Investigators

  • 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)

July 31, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID 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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