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Background: Women suffering from urinary incontinence have impaired quality of life (QoL). Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has been recommended to be the first-line treatment for them., Aims: This study evaluated the role of (PFMT) in women with urinary incontinence., Materials and Methods: All women suffering from urinary incontinence without pelvic organ prolapse who attended the urogynaecology unit of a university hospital from January 2009 to June 2010 were recruited. Urinary symptoms and impact on QoL were assessed using the Chinese validated Urogenital Distress Inventory short form (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire short form (IIQ-7) before and after PFMT. Urodynamic studies (UDS) were used to differentiate the diagnoses of urinary incontinence., Results: Three hundred and seventy-two women, aged 52.3 ± 10.8 years and practised PFMT for 9.9 ± 7.3 months, completed the study. Over 65% recorded improvement in both UDI-6 and IIQ-7. Stratified for urodynamic diagnosis, stress incontinence group and those who had no UDS abnormality had significant improvement in their urinary symptoms and QoL after PFMT. UDI-6 and IIQ-7 also improved significantly after PFMT in groups where the clinical presentation was stress incontinence, overactive bladder symptoms or mixed urinary incontinence. Age was not associated with a significant difference in the response to PFMT., Conclusions: Pelvic floor muscle training appears to be an effective first-line intervention for improving urinary symptoms and QoL of women presenting with urinary incontinence. Future studies on long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are also required., (© 2013 The Authors ANZJOG © 2013 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)