Kegels for the Ladies: Do I really need to do them???

I know that this topic is mentioned a lot, and people joke about it, but ladies, you really should be doing them!  Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles in the pelvic floor, which supports your uterus, bladder, and bowel.  The muscles can be weakened due to pregnancy and childbirth, age, being overweight, and sometimes....just because you don't strengthen them!  Sometimes this weakening can cause organ prolapse, where your bowel droops down and puts pressure on your bladder causing leakage and urgency. Kegels are muscles just like any other muscle, and they need to be worked out, and the good news is that you can do it at ANY time and no one has to know...and it can make sex more enjoyable and orgasms MUCH better!

How do I do kegels?
So, you need to get pretty comfortable with your body, just to find the right muscles and make sure that you are doing it the right way, but I promise you will thank me!  Insert a finger into your vagina and try to squeeze the muscles around your fingers, and your fingers should feel the muscles tighten and the pelvic floor should move up.  OR you can always try and stop your pee mid stream, the same muscles help to stop the urine flow are your kegels, but I don't like to encourage people to do that, in case they are prone to UTI's and if you do that a lot it can cause incomplete emptying of the bladder.  So NEVER DO KEGELS WITH A FULL BLADDER; you want to make sure that you are empty before exercising!

Once you've learned your muscles, you need to start working them!  A great way to start is to contract the muscles for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds and try to do that 4 to 5 times in a row, and work up to 10 second contractions with 5 second breaks.  And you can even get weights: Kegel Exercise Weights and GyneFlex with VTP (R) - Regular Strength to help and really work those muscles, starting slow with lower weights and working your way up!   Remember to breathe while doing the exercises, and try to work yourself up to 10 sets three times a day- seems like a lot, but you can do them while sitting at your desk at work, laying in bed, sitting in traffic, really ANY time!

What are the benefits?
As I said earlier, strengthening the kegel muscles can help with urinary incontinence and urgency and it can help with prevention of pelvic prolapse, where the organs droop into the pelvic area.  And, strengthening of the pelvic muscles can also increase the sensitivity during sexual intercourse and your orgasms can become more intense and enjoyable.

How long will it take to see results?
If you are starting your kegel exercises because you have urinary leakage or incontinence and you are hoping to change that, it may take 8 weeks up to 12 weeks to see a significant change, because you are strengthening very weak muscles, and think of how long it takes to see a change in your biceps, muscles that already have some tone.  Sex and orgasms can be effected sooner after starting the exercises.

Start working out your kegels even if you don't have any of these problems to prevent them from occurring.  And, if you are having trouble locating them, or performing the exercises, I know you might feel awkward, but talk to your HCP or email me, your HCP can help you to locate the muscles.  Give it a try, I promise you will thank me, and so will your partner :)

Yours in Good Health
B