In women who have recently given birth, participating in a structured Pilates program five times a week for 50 minutes over four weeks is associated with a measurable reduction in waist size compared to not exercising.

In women who have recently given birth, a structured Pilates program performed five times a week for 50 minutes over four weeks can reduce the separation between the abdominal muscles and increase core endurance compared to not doing any exercise.

After doing supervised Pilates five times a week for 50 minutes each session over four weeks, women who recently gave birth do not show a measurable increase in the thickness of their rectus abdominis muscles.

Women who have recently given birth and participate in a supervised Pilates program five times a week for four weeks show an increase of about 8.55 more repetitions in a 1-minute curl-up test compared to those who do not exercise.

After giving birth for the first time, women who do Pilates for four weeks may see improved abdominal muscle strength and a smaller gap between the abdominal muscles, but this does not lead to lasting relief of symptoms or prevention of muscle separation.

After giving birth for the first time, women who do Pilates for four weeks show a small reduction in the separation between the two sides of the abdominal muscle, with slightly more reduction observed lower down near the pelvis than at the navel.