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According to doctors, up to 40 percent of women struggle with pelvic floor disorders, which can lead to incontinence, pain, or complications during and after childbirth. “Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles has proven to be a highly effective way to prevent birth injuries and these disorders. Unfortunately, around one-fifth of women are unable to contract their pelvic floor muscles, even though they believe they are doing it correctly,” said urogynecologist Zdeněk Rušavý from the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen at Charles University. In addition, specialized care is unevenly distributed across the border regions of the Czech Republic and Bavaria. That is why scientists from Pilsen and Bavaria developed a system capable of recognizing the ability to engage the pelvic floor muscles properly.

The device is primarily intended for women aged 18 to 45. “It can accurately detect movement of the coccyx and intimate areas and determine whether a woman is activating her pelvic floor correctly or compensating with her abdominal muscles. We are currently developing a mobile application that will provide users with immediate feedback on whether they are exercising correctly,” explained the project’s lead technical researcher, Jan Vychytil, from the NTC Research Center at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (NTC UWB).

The scientists verified the device's functionality through virtual models of the human body and laboratory testing. A prototype was tested by a group of 23 volunteers in the laboratories of OTH Regensburg. Experts compared the measurement accuracy with medical ultrasound imaging. “The results confirmed a high level of reliability. The device can clearly detect conscious and correctly performed contractions in users. We obtained objective and precise data that had previously been impossible to measure in home conditions,” added biomechanist Hana Čechová from the NTC UWB.

Doctors from the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen at Charles University and the Biomedical Center of the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen see the technology as a way to ease pressure on the healthcare system. “Until now, pelvic floor function could only be examined through vaginal or rectal assessment, or through specialized imaging examinations, which many women found significantly limiting. If we provide them with a safe, scientifically validated, and non-invasive tool for home use, we can prevent the development of disorders in a large number of cases,” emphasized urogynecologist Zdeněk Rušavý.

Product designers from the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen also contributed to the final design of the device. The international team is now seeking an investor or industrial partner to help bring the technology from the laboratory into everyday practice, for example, into preventive healthcare programs, gynecology clinics, or fitness centers.