Forget Kegels: The Magnetic Muscle Sculpting Treatment Singapore Women Are Using to Rebuild Pelvic Strength

She was fit, active, and had run half-marathons before her baby arrived. Fourteen months postpartum, she signed up for a HIIT class — and discovered, to her absolute horror, that she leaked urine during jumping jacks. She was 34 years old.

This is not an unusual story. It is, in fact, one of the most common things Dr Low Chai Ling hears in her clinic at SW1. And it highlights a truth that most women are never told: pelvic floor weakness is not a fitness problem. It is a medical one — and kegels alone are rarely enough to fix it.

What Is the Pelvic Floor and Why Does It Matter?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sit like a hammock at the base of your pelvis, supporting the bladder, bowel, and uterus. When these muscles are strong and well-coordinated, they maintain continence, support pelvic organs, and contribute to core stability and even intimacy.

Two things damage pelvic floor muscles more than almost anything else: pregnancy and childbirth, and the natural hormonal decline of ageing. The result is a spectrum of symptoms — from mild leakage during exercise, to urgency incontinence, to a sense of heaviness or prolapse.

The Problem With Kegels

Kegel exercises — voluntary contractions of the pelvic floor — are the standard recommendation for pelvic floor weakness. And in theory, they work. In practice, there are two major problems.

First, research suggests that approximately 30–50% of women cannot correctly identify and contract their pelvic floor muscles without guidance.^[1] Many women inadvertently bear down rather than lift up, which can actually worsen symptoms over time.

Second, even women who do kegels correctly rarely do them with the frequency, intensity, or consistency needed to produce meaningful muscle re-education. Life gets in the way.

Enter MMS: Magnetic Muscle Sculpting for the Pelvic Floor

Magnetic Muscle Sculpting (MMS) uses High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to stimulate deep pelvic floor muscles from the outside. You sit, fully clothed, on a specialised chair. The electromagnetic field penetrates deep into the pelvic region and triggers what are known as supramaximal contractions — involuntary muscle contractions of an intensity that voluntary exercise simply cannot achieve.

A single 30-minute session delivers approximately 20,000 to 30,000 supramaximal contractions — far exceeding what any manual exercise programme could replicate, and impossible to achieve through voluntary kegel exercises alone.^[2]

“What I see in clinic are women who are fit, active, and doing everything right — and still experiencing leakage. It’s not a fitness problem. It’s a pelvic floor problem. And kegels alone, done incorrectly or inconsistently, simply aren’t enough. MMS delivers thousands of supramaximal contractions in a single session — the kind of deep, targeted muscle re-education your pelvic floor needs but can never achieve voluntarily.”
— Dr Low Chai Ling, SW1 Clinic

What Does the Research Say?

The evidence for HIFEM technology in pelvic floor rehabilitation is growing. A comparative study published in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery found that HIFEM therapy produced significantly greater improvements in pelvic floor integrity and urinary incontinence symptoms compared to electrostimulation — with a 52% improvement rate versus 18% for electrostimulation (p<0.001).^[1]

More recent studies continue to confirm HIFEM as a safe, effective, and well-tolerated option for both stress and mixed urinary incontinence, with benefits sustained at one-month follow-up.^[2,3]

Who Is MMS For?

Post-Pregnancy Pelvic Floor Weakness

For women with significant laxity following childbirth — whether vaginal or caesarean — the recommended protocol is two sessions per week for six weeks. This intensive course provides the muscle re-education needed to restore pelvic floor function meaningfully.

Age-Related Pelvic Laxity

Hormonal changes from perimenopause and menopause affect the pelvic floor just as they affect the skin and muscles elsewhere. Women experiencing increasing urgency, leakage, or a sense of reduced tone typically see good results with two to three sessions per month.

Maintenance

Once pelvic floor function is restored, most women maintain their results with one session per month.

What to Expect

The treatment is entirely non-invasive. You remain fully clothed throughout. During the session, you will feel strong muscle contractions — the sensation has been described as an intense, involuntary workout. There is no pain, no needles, no downtime. Most women return to normal activities immediately.

Results are typically noticeable after the first few sessions, with continued improvement over the treatment course as muscle strength and coordination build.

Beyond Leakage: The Broader Benefits

Pelvic floor strength has implications far beyond continence. Women report improvements in core stability, posture, and confidence during exercise. Some also note improvements in intimate function. The pelvic floor is foundational to whole-body wellbeing — and strengthening it has ripple effects throughout.

Ready to Rebuild?

If you have been quietly living with pelvic floor weakness — whether post-pregnancy or due to age — you do not have to accept it as normal. Effective, discreet, non-invasive treatment is available.

Book a consultation at SW1 Clinic today. WhatsApp us at +65 8218 3273 or visit sw1clinic.com/contact.

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References

1. Silantyeva E et al. A Comparative Study on the Effects of High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Technology and Electrostimulation for the Treatment of Pelvic Floor Muscles and Urinary Incontinence in Parous Women. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021;27(4):e490–e495. PMCID: PMC8016513.
2. Evaluating the Efficacy of High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) Therapy in Urinary Incontinence. PMC12407011. 2025.
3. Is the High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Energy an Effective Treatment for Urinary Incontinence? PMC11619107. 2024.