How does pelvic floor training affect urethral closure?

• A. Reduces urethral closure during stress
• B. Improves coordination and strength of pelvic floor muscles, enhancing urethral support and closure during stress
• C. Causes urinary retention
• D. Has no effect on urethral closure

Answer: (B)

Strengthening and coordinating the pelvic floor muscles enhances the support around the urethra and the timing of its closure. When intra-abdominal pressure rises—during coughing, sneezing, or lifting—the pelvic floor should contract quickly and firmly to compress the urethra and help keep it closed. Training improves both how hard those contractions can be and how well they are coordinated with activities that raise pressure, so urethral closure is more reliable when stress is present. That’s why improving coordination and strength of the pelvic floor, which strengthens urethral support and closure during stress, is the best description. It doesn’t cause a decrease in closure, nor urinary retention, and it does have a beneficial effect on continence.