The Association for Continence Advice (ACA) has published a new leaflet which aims to educate teenagers about their pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor muscles run from the pubic bone at the front to the base of the spine at the back, forming a sling that holds the bladder and urethra in place.

Maintaining strong pelvic floor muscles is important for bladder control, as urine is released when the muscles relax.

A person's pelvic floor muscles weaken as they get older, increasing the risk of urinary incontinence and causing some people to rely on incontinence supplies, such as Tena Lady for women or Tena Men for those with male incontinence.

Many people do not start exercising their pelvic floor muscles until they are already experiencing stress incontinence.

But experts want to encourage more people to start pelvic floor muscles at an earlier age, thereby reducing their chances of problems in the future.

The new ACA booklet, which is available from the association's website, is specifically designed to teach teenagers about the importance of maintaining the strength of their pelvic floor muscles.

As well as providing information on the pelvic floor and causes of muscle weakening, the leaflet contains useful tips on how to exercise the pelvic floor muscles to help maintain or restore their strength.

NHS experts advise both men and women to do pelvic floor exercises on a regular basis.

To begin with, people need to learn how to locate their pelvic floor muscles, which can be felt by attempting to stop the flow of urine.

In order to strengthen these muscles, people should squeeze and relax them ten to 15 times, eventually holding each squeeze for a few seconds at a time.

The number of squeezes can be increased each week and people should start to notice the benefits - including improved continence - within months.