The PC muscle, short for pubococcygeus, is a hammock-shaped muscle that stretches from your pubic bone to your tailbone. It forms the main part of your pelvic floor, the sling of muscle that supports your bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs. Though you can’t see it, you use it every time you hold in urine, control a bowel movement, or engage in sexual activity.
Where the PC Muscle Sits
The pubococcygeus is one of three muscles that make up the levator ani, the primary muscle group of the pelvic floor. It originates from the back surface of the pubic bone and the connective tissue near it, then runs backward toward the midline of the body, attaching to a band of tissue between the anus and the tailbone called the anococcygeal raphe.
In women, fibers from the PC muscle also attach to the walls of the vagina (where it’s sometimes called the pubovaginalis). In men, fibers wrap around the prostate gland (called the puboprostaticus). This means the muscle’s exact shape differs slightly between sexes, but its core position and function are the same: it forms the muscular floor that keeps your pelvic organs from dropping downward under gravity and pressure.
How It Controls Your Bladder and Bowel
The PC muscle is central to continence. When you cough, sneeze, or lift something heavy, pressure inside your abdomen spikes. In response, the pelvic floor muscles actively shorten and stiffen, compressing the tissue beneath the urethra like a supportive hammock. This compression acts as a brake, limiting how much the urethra moves and preventing urine from leaking out. Research on continent women shows that the pelvic floor contracts simultaneously with the diaphragm and abdominal wall during a cough, tensing the layer of tissue under the urethra to keep it sealed.
When this system works well, the stiffening happens automatically and almost instantly. When the PC muscle is weak or the surrounding connective tissue is damaged, the urethra moves too far and too fast under pressure, and leaks occur. The same muscle group helps control the passage of gas and stool, which is why pelvic floor weakness can affect bowel control as well.
The PC Muscle and Sexual Function
In men, the pelvic floor muscles play a direct role in erections and ejaculation. The muscles surrounding the base of the penis help maintain blood flow during an erection, and voluntary control of these muscles appears to influence ejaculatory timing. A rehabilitation study found that after 12 weeks of pelvic floor training, men with premature ejaculation developed better awareness and control of their ejaculatory reflex. Part of the mechanism involves learning to intentionally relax the muscles at the base of the penis during arousal, rather than tensing them.
In women, PC muscle strength correlates with sexual satisfaction and the ability to orgasm. Women who experience orgasms tend to have longer pelvic floor contraction times than those who don’t. One study measuring muscle endurance found that women who were sexually active and orgasmic could sustain a pelvic floor contraction for roughly 3.6 seconds on average, compared to about 2.9 seconds for those without orgasms. Stronger pelvic floor muscles also increase blood flow to the clitoral tissue and improve contact during intercourse, both of which contribute to arousal and orgasmic intensity.
How Common Is PC Muscle Weakness
Pelvic floor weakness is far more common than most people realize. About 50% of women experience at least one form of pelvic floor dysfunction within 10 years of giving birth, whether vaginal or cesarean. Among those women, nearly 44% report urinary incontinence, about 16% experience some form of anal incontinence (leaking gas or stool), and roughly 6% develop noticeable pelvic organ prolapse.
Men are less commonly studied, but pelvic floor weakness affects them too, particularly after prostate surgery or with aging. The muscle naturally loses tone over time in both sexes, especially without regular engagement.
How to Find Your PC Muscle
The simplest way to locate the PC muscle is to start urinating and then stop midstream. The muscles you squeeze to halt the flow are your pelvic floor muscles, including the pubococcygeus. You should feel a tightening and upward lift in the area between your genitals and anus. This stop test is only for identification purposes. Don’t practice it regularly while urinating, as that can interfere with normal bladder function.
If you’re unsure you’ve found the right muscles, there are more specific checks. Women can insert a finger into the vagina and squeeze as if holding in urine. You should feel the walls tighten and lift around your finger. Men can insert a finger into the rectum and perform the same squeezing motion. The contraction you feel is the same one you’d use to hold back gas. All the pelvic floor muscles contract together, so if you feel a lift in one area, you’re engaging the right group.
Strengthening the PC Muscle
Kegel exercises are the standard method for strengthening the PC muscle. The basic movement is simple: squeeze the pelvic floor muscles, hold the contraction, then release. A typical starting routine involves holding each squeeze for three to five seconds, relaxing for the same amount of time, and repeating 10 to 15 times. Most guidelines recommend doing this three times a day. As the muscle gets stronger, you can gradually increase the hold time and number of repetitions.
A few things matter more than the exercise itself. First, breathe normally throughout. Holding your breath or bearing down means you’re using your abdominal muscles instead. Second, keep your glutes, thighs, and stomach relaxed. The contraction should be isolated to the pelvic floor. Third, consistency matters more than intensity. Like any muscle, the PC responds to regular training over weeks, not a single intense session.
One important caveat: most people initially perform Kegels incorrectly, and doing them wrong can make symptoms worse rather than better. If you’re experiencing leaking, pain, or pelvic pressure, home exercises alone may not be enough. A pelvic floor physical therapist can assess your muscle function, confirm you’re engaging the right muscles, and build a treatment plan that goes beyond basic Kegels. Some conditions, like a pelvic floor that is too tight rather than too weak, actually require relaxation techniques instead of strengthening, and Kegels would be counterproductive.