Perifit Care+
The most engaging biofeedback trainer, with a smaller probe and a genuinely useful trial period.
Best for Postnatal parents cleared at their check who want feedback on technique and a reason to keep going.
Pregnancy
App-connected and electrical stimulation pelvic floor trainers compared, with honest advice on when a physio should come first.
Best first
The most engaging biofeedback trainer, with a smaller probe and a genuinely useful trial period.
Best for Postnatal parents cleared at their check who want feedback on technique and a reason to keep going.
A physio-minded biofeedback trainer with the clearest safety guidance of the bunch.
Best for Anyone who wants structured, clinical-feeling programmes rather than games.
Best for Buyers who want Perifit's app and games for the lowest price.
Beautifully designed and precise, but non-returnable once opened and with mixed owner ratings.
Best for Design-conscious buyers who want direct force measurement and a polished app.
The most complete stimulation trainer, with physio-designed programmes including postnatal recovery.
Best for Postnatal parents who struggle to feel or find their pelvic floor, ideally with a physio's blessing.
The cheapest credible way to try pelvic floor stimulation, if a physio suggests it.
Best for Anyone advised to try electrical stimulation who doesn't want to spend £150 or more.
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Side by side
Tap a column to sort. Scores are out of 10.
| Product | Links | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perifit Care+Gold Star | 8.3 | 9.0 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.6 | £139 | Amazon |
| Emy Trainer | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 7.8 | 7.0 | £143 | Amazon |
| Perifit Care | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 7.6 | £119 | Amazon |
| Elvie Trainer | 7.5 | 8.6 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 6.8 | £140 | Amazon |
| Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2Best electrical stimulation | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 7.0 | £178 | Amazon |
| TensCare itouch SureValue Star | 7.0 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 6.6 | 8.6 | £50 | Amazon |
Before you buy
Before spending anywhere between £50 and £180, try the basics. After birth, the NHS suggests building up to 10 repeats of long and short squeezes at least three times a day, and for leaks it says a training programme should last at least three months before you judge it. You can restart gentle exercises as soon as they feel comfortable after birth.
A reminder app helps more than you'd think. Squeezy, which costs about £4 and is billed as the NHS pelvic floor app, has a maternity programme developed with input from midwives and pelvic health physiotherapists. If after a few weeks you genuinely can't tell whether you're squeezing the right muscles, that's when a trainer, or better still a physio appointment, starts to make sense.
Biofeedback trainers such as Perifit, Elvie and Emy are probes with sensors that show your contractions on your phone, so you can see whether you're squeezing, relaxing or accidentally bearing down. You still do all the work. Electrical stimulation units such as Kegel8 and TensCare send small pulses through a probe to make the muscles contract for you, which can help if you can't feel or find them at all.
Official guidance is lukewarm on both. The NHS says there isn't much good evidence that biofeedback offers a significant benefit, though it may help motivation. NICE advises against routinely adding pressure-based biofeedback or electrical stimulation to pelvic floor training, but says both should be considered for women who can't actively contract their pelvic floor. In plain English: useful if they keep you going or help you find the muscles, but not magic.
None of the devices in this guide is recommended for use in pregnancy. Perifit and Emy say so explicitly because their probes haven't been tested in pregnant women, Kegel8 and TensCare advise against electrical stimulation in pregnancy, and Elvie's guidance only covers use after birth. Keep doing your exercises without a device while you're pregnant.
After birth, most say to wait until a healthcare professional has cleared you, typically at your six-week check. Perifit suggests six to eight weeks, Emy says not within seven weeks, TensCare says not in the first six weeks after a vaginal birth or pelvic surgery, and Kegel8 variously says your six-week check or 12 weeks after birth or surgery. If you had a difficult birth, a significant tear or a caesarean, ask your GP or physio what's right for you.
Pelvic floor trainers are for strengthening, not diagnosing. NHS pelvic health services, such as the one at Shrewsbury and Telford, list leaking from your bladder, struggling to control your bowels, a bulge in your vagina and pelvic pain when you return to exercise as reasons to be referred, along with mild symptoms that haven't improved by six weeks after birth.
Ask your midwife, GP or health visitor for a referral, or check whether your local trust accepts self-referrals. A physio can check your technique properly and tell you whether a device is worth buying at all. Some people's pelvic floor muscles are overactive rather than weak, and squeezing harder isn't the answer for them.
Intimate devices are often non-returnable once opened, so check before you buy. Elvie says its Trainer can only be returned if faulty once the seal is broken, whereas Perifit offers a 100-day trial and Kegel8 a 90-day money-back guarantee when you buy direct.
Running costs vary too. Perifit's battery isn't rechargeable but is designed to last years and has a five-year battery warranty, Elvie and Emy recharge, Kegel8 uses a 9V battery and the TensCare itouch Sure takes two AAs. Stimulation probes and lead wires wear out and need replacing eventually. Some medical devices can be bought VAT-free if you're eligible for VAT relief, and Kegel8 shows both prices clearly.
Probably not. Pelvic floor exercises work without any equipment, and the NHS recommends them for everyone who is pregnant or has given birth. A trainer is worth considering if you've been doing exercises for a while but can't tell whether you're doing them right, or you need the motivation of seeing progress. If you have symptoms, see a pelvic health physio first.
Generally no. Perifit and Emy say not to use their probes in pregnancy, Kegel8 and TensCare advise against electrical stimulation in pregnancy unless a clinician says otherwise, and Elvie's guidance covers use after birth. Keep doing your exercises without a device, and ask your midwife if you have any concerns.
Most manufacturers say to wait until a healthcare professional has cleared you, usually at your six to eight week postnatal check. Emy says not within seven weeks of birth, and Kegel8's product page suggests 12 weeks after birth or surgery. You can usually restart gentle pelvic floor exercises without a device much sooner, as soon as they feel comfortable.
Neither is better for everyone. Biofeedback trainers help you check your technique and track progress while you do the work. Electrical stimulation contracts the muscles for you, which NICE suggests considering if you can't contract them effectively yourself. A pelvic health physio can tell you which suits your pelvic floor, or whether you need either.
Give it at least three months. The NHS says you may need to do pelvic floor exercises for a few months before you see any benefit, and NICE recommends supervised programmes of at least three months for stress incontinence. Claims of results in four weeks are best taken with a pinch of salt.
Your pelvic floor still carried the weight of pregnancy, so exercises matter after a caesarean too, and both Perifit and Emy say pelvic floor rehabilitation is still worthwhile. The difference is recovery from surgery: wait until you've been cleared, and note that Kegel8's product page says to wait 12 weeks after birth or surgery before using its stimulation units. Check with your GP or physio.