Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41302650›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Extracorporeal Vaginal Peflex Weights for Enhancing Pelvic Floor Function and Relieving Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Avital Bar Chen, Tal Fligelman, Leonid Kalichman

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Avital Bar ChenDepartment of Physical Therapy, Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
Tal FligelmanMeuhedet Health Services, Central District, Tel Aviv 6266106, Israel.ORCID 0009-0008-2657-0200
Leonid KalichmanDepartment of Physical Therapy, Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.ORCID 0000-0003-2987-4396

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary loss of urine during increased abdominal pressure, affecting 46% of adult women, particularly those over 40. Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training is the first-line treatment supported by numerous high-quality studies. However, the effectiveness of biofeedback devices, such as vaginal weight cones, remains controversial. Peflex weights are a new type of vaginal extracorporeal weights developed for PFM training.

aimsTo evaluate the effectiveness of PFM training with Peflex weights in reducing SUI symptoms, improving muscle power and endurance, and comparing its efficacy to standard PFM training without weights.

methodsA pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 35 women aged 18 to 50 diagnosed with SUI. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Peflex group (PFM training with Peflex weights) or the control group (PFM training without weights). Both groups engaged in six weeks of home-based training. The primary outcome was assessed using the self-reported International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF). Secondary outcomes included evaluations based on the PERFECT scheme, perineometer measurements, and levator hiatus diameters obtained via ultrasound.

resultsIn the intragroup analysis, the Peflex group significantly improved all outcome measurements. Compared to the control group, the Peflex group demonstrated significantly higher improvement in muscle power and repetition of muscle contraction (

conclusionsPeflex weights effectively reduce SUI symptoms and improve muscle power and endurance, with high user satisfaction. However, there was no significant difference in the main outcome measure (ICIQ-UI-SF) between the Peflex and control groups. Further research is needed to identify which patients benefit most from this treatment.

Indexed as

Exercise TherapyPelvic FloorUrinary Incontinence, StressAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMiddle AgedMuscle StrengthPilot ProjectsVaginaYoung Adultmuscle endurance and powerPeflex weightspelvic floor muscle trainingrandomized controlled trialstress urinary incontinence

Identifiers

PMID41302650
PMCPMC12652925

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.