Two smart trainers, one very real question
If you leak when you sneeze, is a device the answer, and does it have to be the expensive one? Here is a straight comparison of Perifit Care and the Elvie Trainer.
Quick answer
Perifit Care and the Elvie Trainer do the same core job: they sit internally, sense your pelvic floor contractions, and show them on your phone so you can see whether you are squeezing correctly. Perifit Care uses two pressure sensors and app games built to flag a faulty contraction (bearing down instead of lifting), and it is sold with a 100 day trial. The Elvie Trainer is smaller and quieter in style, using biofeedback to guide short structured workouts, listed at US$199 on Elvie's own store, though it was showing as sold out there when we checked in August 2026. Neither device teaches you the breathing, posture and pressure management that decide whether the strength you build actually stops the leak. If money is tight, start with technique and a structured plan, and add a device later only if you still cannot feel the muscle working.
Ask any group of new mums about pelvic floor trainers and you get two camps. One swears the little device with the app was the thing that finally made Kegels click. The other has one in a drawer, used four times, quietly resented. Both camps are right, because these devices solve exactly one problem, and it is not the problem most mums think they are buying.
The problem they solve is feedback. The pelvic floor is an internal muscle group you cannot see in a mirror and often cannot feel clearly in the months after birth. That is not a character flaw. It is anatomy, plus swelling, plus scar tissue, plus a nervous system that has been through a great deal. A biofeedback device puts a picture of that muscle on your screen.
of women assessed had an ideal Kegel technique after brief verbal instruction, while 25% used a technique the authors judged could potentially promote incontinence (Bump et al., American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1991)
Elvie Trainer list price on Elvie's own store, checked August 2026, where it was showing as sold out at the time
the trial and free return window Perifit advertises on its own store, checked August 2026
What both devices actually do
Both are small, body safe internal trainers that pair with a smartphone app over Bluetooth. You insert the device, open the app, and your contractions drive what happens on screen. Squeeze, and something moves. Relax, and it drops back. That loop is the entire point: an immediate external signal telling you whether the effort in your body matched the effort you intended.
That matters more than it sounds. In the classic assessment by Bump and colleagues, 47 women were taught a Kegel with brief standardised verbal instruction and then measured. Only 23 of them (49%) produced an ideal effort, and 12 (25%) contracted in a way the authors judged could potentially promote incontinence. Their conclusion was blunt: simple verbal or written instruction is not adequate preparation for a woman about to start a Kegel programme. That one finding is the whole commercial case for biofeedback, and it is a fair one.
What neither device does is decide what your training should look like week to week, or coordinate your pelvic floor with your breathing, ribcage and deep abdominals during real life: lifting a toddler, sneezing, standing up off the floor holding a car seat. That is a programming problem, not a sensing problem. If you want the anatomy in plain English first, our explainer on what the pelvic floor actually is and does is a better starting point than any gadget.
Perifit Care: the games based option
Perifit's pitch is engagement. The Care device uses two internal pressure sensors, and the brand leans hard on that second sensor being what lets the app tell a genuine pelvic floor lift apart from bearing down or bracing with your abdominals. In the app you play simple games, guiding a character with your contractions, with a personalised programme and progress tracking across several measures.
Genuine strengths. The gamified format is the most commonly cited reason women keep going: a five minute session that feels like a game is easier to repeat than a five minute session that feels like homework. The dual sensor approach targets the exact failure mode in the Bump data, which is the woman who believes she is lifting and is in fact pushing down. The 100 day trial and free returns advertised on Perifit's own store lower the risk of an expensive drawer ornament, and the range has two tiers (Care and the newer Care+), so there is a cheaper entry point.
Honest limitations. It is still a premium purchase. On Perifit's Australian store in August 2026 the Care was listed at A$229 and Care+ at A$259, with a sale price showing on the day we looked. Prices and available models differ by country and currency, so check your own regional store rather than trusting a figure in any article, this one included. It also needs a charged device, a paired phone and a bit of privacy, which is three things a mum with a newborn does not always have at 4pm.
Elvie Trainer: the minimal, design led option
Elvie's version is quieter in personality. You insert the trainer, connect the app, and your contractions move a gem through a short guided workout that mixes longer holds with quick pulses. Elvie describes biofeedback as the gold standard of Kegel training and builds the product around visualising the muscle rather than entertaining you.
Genuine strengths. The workouts are short and structured, which suits mums who want to be told precisely what to do and then be finished. The hardware is discreet and well made, and Elvie is a mainstream brand with real customer support behind it, including in-app guidance. If gamification irritates you rather than motivating you, the calmer format is a clear plus.
Honest limitations. At US$199 it is the pricier device of the two in its home market, and when we checked Elvie's own store in August 2026 the Trainer was listed as sold out, which is worth knowing before you build a recovery plan around it. Availability through other retailers varies. As with Perifit, the app can tell you how hard you squeezed; it cannot tell you whether squeezing harder is the right answer for your symptoms.
Side by side
| Perifit Care | Elvie Trainer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price checked Aug 2026 | A$229 (Care), A$259 (Care+) on Perifit's AU store | US$199 on Elvie's US store |
| How it senses | Two internal pressure sensors, marketed as detecting faulty contractions | Biofeedback shown as a gem moving through the workout |
| App experience | Games, personalised programme, progress across several measures | Short guided workouts, calm and instructional |
| Trial or returns | 100 day trial with free returns advertised | Standard returns policy; accessory warranty listed at 90 days |
| Availability note | Two models, prices vary by country | Was showing sold out on Elvie's own store when checked |
| Best for | Mums who need motivation to keep showing up | Mums who want a short, no nonsense guided session |
| What neither includes | Breathing mechanics, ribcage and posture work, deep core progressions, and a plan for returning to lifting and impact | |
The part the price tag does not cover
A device measures a squeeze. Continence is not a squeeze. It is timing, pressure management and endurance under real load, which is why Kegels on their own are so often not enough. If you are still leaking, the useful questions are usually about coordination rather than raw strength: can you exhale as you lift your baby, do your ribs move when you breathe, can you keep tension out of your glutes and jaw, and does your belly dome when you get up off the floor.
That last one matters more than most mums are told, because the pelvic floor and the abdominal wall share one pressure system. If you are also dealing with a gap or a pooch, read how the pelvic floor and diastasis recti are connected before you spend a fortnight training one half of the canister in isolation. And if nobody has ever checked your technique, our step by step guide to telling whether you are doing a Kegel correctly gives you much of what a device's feedback loop provides, for nothing.
So which should you buy, if either?
Buy a trainer if you have genuinely tried to find and lift the muscle, cannot feel anything happening, and that uncertainty is what stops you practising. In that specific situation the feedback is worth real money, and between the two, Perifit Care is the easier first purchase for most mums because of the trial window and the cheaper tier. Choose the Elvie Trainer if short, calm, guided sessions fit your temperament better and you can find it in stock.
Do not buy either one if what you actually need is a plan. Leaking that persists past six weeks deserves an assessment by a women's health physiotherapist, and if you have any sensation of heaviness or bulging, see one before you start loading the muscle at all. Between those two extremes sits the mum who simply needs someone to tell her what to do on Monday, what to do on Wednesday, and how to progress in six weeks. That is a programme, and a programme costs a fraction of a device.
The affordable place to start
Mumma Glow exists for the mum who wants structure without a subscription. Our guides are one time purchases you keep forever, from $15 for a single guide, and the Complete Postpartum Body Reset bundle pulls the core, pelvic floor and energy work together for $50, less than a quarter of what either trainer costs. Use code GLOW20 for 20% off. No subscription, no monthly fee, no device required.
The verdict
Both devices are legitimate products that do what they claim. Perifit Care is the better first device for most postpartum mums thanks to its trial window, dual sensor feedback and cheaper tier. The Elvie Trainer is the better fit if you want a short, calm, guided workout and can find stock. But a trainer is a sensor, not a strategy. Technique first, programme second, device third, and a physiotherapist ahead of all three if you have prolapse symptoms, pain or heaviness. Results vary from mum to mum.
Frequently asked questions
Is Perifit or Elvie better for postpartum leaking?
Neither is clearly better at reducing leaking, because the evidence supports pelvic floor muscle training in general rather than one branded device over another. Perifit Care suits mums who need motivation and reassurance that they are contracting correctly; the Elvie Trainer suits mums who want a short guided session. Leaking that persists should be assessed by a women's health physiotherapist regardless of which device you own.
How much do pelvic floor trainers cost?
In August 2026, Perifit listed the Care at A$229 and Care+ at A$259 on its Australian store, and Elvie listed the Trainer at US$199 on its US store. Prices, models and availability differ by country, so check the brand's store for your region. A structured postpartum programme without a device typically costs a fraction of that.
Do I need a device to do pelvic floor exercises properly?
No. A device gives you feedback, which is genuinely useful if you cannot feel the muscle working. Many mums get the same clarity from a physiotherapist's assessment or a careful self check, and then simply need a consistent plan. Bump and colleagues found brief verbal instruction alone was inadequate, which argues for feedback of some kind, not necessarily for expensive hardware.
Can I use a pelvic floor trainer right after birth?
Not immediately. Nothing should go into the vagina until bleeding has stopped and you have been cleared, generally at your six week check, and later again if you had significant tearing, an infection or surgery. Gentle breathing and connection work can usually start much earlier. Ask your GP, midwife or physiotherapist about your own timeline.
What if I have a prolapse or feel heaviness?
See a women's health physiotherapist before buying anything. Heaviness, bulging or dragging sensations need assessment, and the training strategy for prolapse is not the same as the strategy for mild stress leaking. A device cannot make that distinction for you.
Sources: Bump RC, Hurt WG, Fantl JA, Wyman JF. Assessment of Kegel pelvic muscle exercise performance after brief verbal instruction. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1991;165(2):322-7 (retrieved via PubMed, DOI 10.1016/0002-9378(91)90085-6). Product prices, model names, trial windows and stock status taken from Perifit's and Elvie's own online stores, checked August 2026. General postpartum pelvic floor guidance: NHS, ACOG and RANZCOG public patient information.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Mumma Glow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Perifit or Elvie, and we do not sell devices. Prices and availability change; always check the brand's own store. Results vary from mum to mum. See your GP, midwife or a women's health physiotherapist for advice about your own body, especially if you have pain, heaviness, bulging, or leaking that is not improving.