By the Kegel Trainers editorial team · Updated November 8, 2026
General information, not medical advice. Check with a doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist before starting, especially if you are pregnant, recently gave birth or had surgery, have pelvic pain, or have a pacemaker.
The short answer
Probably, for some women, but the evidence for Elitone itself is thin. It is FDA-cleared for stress urinary incontinence, and the study in its FDA submission found clinically significant improvements in leaks, pad use and quality of life. That study had only 20 women over 6 weeks, and its summary describes no comparison group. More broadly, electrical stimulation is probably better than no treatment for stress leaks, but may work no better than doing pelvic floor exercises yourself.
Elitone makes most sense if you cannot contract your pelvic floor well on your own, or you do not want to insert a device.
How Elitone works
An adhesive GelPad goes on the skin between your legs, running from near the pubic bone toward the sitting bones, and clips to a small battery-powered controller you wear under your clothes. According to its FDA summary, the stimulation alternates between a higher frequency used to contract and strengthen the pelvic floor and a lower frequency used to calm the bladder muscle. You set the intensity with two buttons. A session lasts 20 minutes and the device turns itself off; the filing recommends 3 to 5 sessions a week. There is no app.
What the evidence shows
Elitone's own study
Elitone's 510(k) summary reports a study of 20 women with mild-to-moderate, mainly stress, incontinence who used it at home for 6 weeks. It reports clinically significant improvements in leak episodes, pad use and quality of life, and no adverse events that caused injury or needed medical treatment. A separate usability study of 15 people found users could tell from the label whether the device suited them and could apply it correctly. The summary does not give the size of the improvements or mention a control group.
Electrical stimulation in general
A 2017 Cochrane review of 56 trials found electrical stimulation is probably better than no active treatment for stress incontinence, but low-quality evidence suggested it may be no better than pelvic floor muscle training, or than training alone when added to it. The UK's NICE guideline says not to use stimulation routinely, but to consider it for women who cannot actively contract their pelvic floor muscles. The NHS says the same.
Elitone and an alternative
Prices from each maker's US store.
Elitone
External electrical stimulation · Best for: Stress leaks, without inserting anything
FDA-cleared for stress incontinence in women.
A wearable that works from the outside. A thin adhesive GelPad goes near the pubic bone, and electrical stimulation contracts your pelvic floor during a 20-minute session you can do under your clothes. Nothing is inserted and there is no app. FDA-cleared (K183585) for stress urinary incontinence in women, without a prescription.
- Nothing to insert: the pad sits on the skin
- An option if you struggle to do a kegel on your own
- HSA/FSA eligible, per the maker
- Drawback: GelPads are an ongoing cost ($33 for 5)
- Type
- External, nothing inserted
- Feedback
- None: it stimulates the muscles
- App
- No app
- FDA status
- Cleared (K183585)
- Warranty
- Not stated
- Returns
- 60 days
Perifit Care
Insertable biofeedback trainer · Best for: Most women starting out
If you can do a kegel and want feedback, for less.
An app-connected trainer you insert with its tail left outside. Sensors measure how hard you squeeze and pick up changes in abdominal pressure, and the free app turns your exercises into games with live feedback. FDA-cleared (K221476) for stress, mild-to-moderate urge and mixed urinary incontinence in adult women.
- FDA-cleared for over-the-counter use
- No charging: the battery is built to last for years
- Free app with no subscription
- Drawback: Larger insert than Care+ (8.3 × 3.1 cm)
- Type
- Insertable, with app
- Feedback
- Squeeze and pressure sensors
- App
- Free, iOS and Android
- FDA status
- Cleared (K221476)
- Warranty
- 5 years on the battery
- Returns
- 100-day trial
Side-by-side comparison
Details from each maker's own store and the FDA's 510(k) database, checked on the date shown on each card.
Elitone
- Type
- External, nothing inserted
- Feedback
- None: it stimulates the muscles
- App
- No app
- FDA status
- Cleared (K183585)
- Warranty
- Not stated
- Returns
- 60 days
Perifit Care
- Type
- Insertable, with app
- Feedback
- Squeeze and pressure sensors
- App
- Free, iOS and Android
- FDA status
- Cleared (K221476)
- Warranty
- 5 years on the battery
- Returns
- 100-day trial
| Trainer | Type | Feedback | App | FDA status | Warranty | Returns | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
External, nothing inserted | None: it stimulates the muscles | No app | Cleared (K183585) | Not stated | 60 days | $399 |
|
|
Insertable, with app | Squeeze and pressure sensors | Free, iOS and Android | Cleared (K221476) | 5 years on the battery | 100-day trial | $119.20 |
Elitone vs Elitone URGE
Elidah sells two women's models. Elitone is cleared for stress incontinence (K183585, 2019), and Elidah markets it for stress and mixed incontinence. Elitone URGE is cleared for urge incontinence (K223884, 2023), the sudden need to go. If your main problem is urgency, ask a clinician which suits you; NICE advises against routinely using electrical stimulation for overactive bladder. For men there is Elitone for Men.
Does Elitone help with prolapse?
Elitone is not FDA-cleared for prolapse, and we found no evidence that it treats it. For early prolapse, NICE recommends supervised pelvic floor training for at least 16 weeks. If you feel a bulge or heaviness, see a clinician before using any device.
Cost, insurance and returns
- Price: $399 for the device with 10 GelPads (marked "limited time"), $429 for the Essential Kit, or $539 for a bundle with 30 GelPads. Extra GelPads are $33 for 5.
- HSA/FSA and Medicare: Elidah says Elitone is HSA/FSA eligible, and that Original Medicare (Part B) may cover it with a prescription. See HSA, FSA and kegel trainers.
- Returns: refund or replacement if the device gets back to Elidah within 60 days of buying from elitone.com. Returns must be authorized first, and you pay the return shipping.
Who should not use Elitone
Elidah's list includes: being pregnant or trying to become pregnant; an electronic implant such as a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator, or heart problems; active cancer, epilepsy or cognitive dysfunction; pelvic floor surgery in the last six weeks; complete loss of nerve supply to the pelvic floor; and a history or symptoms of urinary retention, overflow or extra-urethral incontinence. After childbirth it recommends waiting 6 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Does Elitone really work?
Does Elitone hurt?
How much does Elitone cost?
Is Elitone covered by Medicare?
What is Elitone's return policy?
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