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Remember the infamous kegel balls scene in the Fifty Shades of Grey series? The one where Ana wears them during that fancy party at Christian’s family estate?After a few hours (and glasses of champagne) she’s basically coming in her bespoke dress. I don’t know about you, but when I was reading that book I remember thinking this was a tad unrealistic. Is it really possible to wear a pair of balls inside of your vagina and bring yourself to orgasm (preferably while wearing an expensive gown)?A few years later, skeptical about the sincerity of Fifty Shades, and far more interested in sexual myth-busting, I decided to put kegel balls to the test.I began asking around. A sex-tech entrepreneur at a happy hour I was hosting couldn’t stop gushing about how they’d made her orgasms more intense.But how? On a basic level, kegel balls boast an ability to “tighten the vagina,” a term which makes me want to commit murder. Being the cynical New York gal that I am, I had to ask myself: Are kegel balls and their promise of a youthful, tight vagina magical or just another product to exploit female insecurity about vaginas?I talked to Claire Cavanah—co-founder of Babeland and feminist badass—to conduct some more research on the topic. Clearly I had completely freaked myself out at this point.”Are kegel balls and their promise of a youthful, tight vagina magical or just another product to exploit female insecurity about vaginas?””Think of kegel balls as your ladybits exercise equipment,” Cavanah says. “You can do strengthening exercises without them, but they might make your workout more effective. These are the muscles that wrap around your sex organs and the pelvic floor.” She also noted that making the muscles stronger can lead to more intense orgasms, more bladder control (read: less pee when you sneeze), and an easier pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery.Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.As for why women should be wearing them regularly? “Kegel balls give you an object to focus on clenching and if you wear it while you go about your day, you will be putting those muscles to work the whole time,” Cavanah says.Out of the 9 billion different kinds of kegel balls, I tried out two.The pair I was most excited about were the Scarlet Couture balls. They’re red and black so I figured they were just like the ones Christian Grey asked Ana to wear. My conflicted feelings about the books aside, I was into this.(Image credit: Courtesy/Design by Monica Park)Also intriguing were the Je Joue Ami balls. I later learned from Claire that there are three sizes so you can work up to more hefty kegel balls and continue to challenge yourself. I got the largest, heaviest balls because I figured, “GO BIG OR GO HOME.” I planned to have a vagina with the strength of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator years. Nothing was going to stop me.It turns out, that is not how kegel balls (or anything, for that matter) work. I popped in the Je Joue Ami balls in bed and then got up to get coffee. I had used a Yoni crystal egg before, so I figured this would be a similar experience. I could never really feel the Yoni egg. It just dissapeared into the vast expanse of my vaginal canal never to be heard from again. (Just kidding. That would be terrifying.)This time, the ball was too heavy for me because it moved down to the opening of my vagina very quickly and became pretty uncomfortable. I decided it was not the right choice for me and moved on to the Scarlet Couture balls. Looking back, I should have realized there were two other sizes for a reason.I spent the next few weeks using the Scarlet balls for several hours each day. Occasionally you can feel them sinking down, but otherwise it’s not that noticeable when they’re inside of you. There’s no need for lube to pop them in, either; you just lie back, push them in, and your vagina sucks them up. Graphic, I know, but this is science.(Image credit: Courtesy of Scarlet Couture/Design by Monica Park)I was a bit anxious for the first few days of using them. I have an IUD and I kept picturing the long loop (meant for easy removal) attaching to the strings of my IUD and yanking it out of my uterus. Thankfully, this didn’t happen. If you do have an IUD, though, consult your OBGYN before using kegel balls.Sadly the kegel balls didn’t bring me to orgasm the way E.L. James describes in Fifty Shades. I never once felt more turned on by them—but I am always horny, so my barometer could be off. It *did* make my vagina and pelvic floor muscles stronger, though, there is no doubt about that. I essentially have a vagina made out of steel now. Kegel balls are no joke.The best part? You can’t even feel it happening. It’s like all those “5-minute abs” infomercials we used to see in the ’90s, if they actually worked. We hit the gym to workout our muscles to be stronger, so why not workout the vagina?After all my skepticism, I’ve…

Article Source > www.marieclaire.com

You likely have questions about squirting, especially considering the many myths surrounding the sexual phenomenon. What exactly is it? Can you learn how? Is wetter better? Am I normal? To fill the gaping gaps of knowledge on this topic, we put together a guide on gushing, which includes step-by-step instructions from sex educators. Debra LainoDebra Laino, DHS, is a sexologist, doctor of human sexuality, relationship therapist, and life coach.
What is squirting, exactly? Squirting is the release of clear liquid from the urethra in response to high levels of arousal, says Debra Laino, a sex educator and relationship therapist based in Delaware. The phenomenon, which can happen with or without climax, is named for the typically high velocity of the substance. But while the term and so much of the porn depict squirting as a gushing stream, the fluid doesn’t always gush. “Squirting can also be a trickle or a light stream,” licensed clinical social worker and sex therapist Shamyra Howard, PhD, CST, LCSW, tells Well+Good.The volume also varies wildly, with women emitting anywhere from 10 to 100+ millimeters. For reference, most medicine dose caps hold 10 millimeters of liquid, while 100 millimeters is equivalent to an ungenerous pour of wine. What squirting is not, however, is an orgasm or female ejaculation. While the squirting is sometimes dubbed a “squirting orgasm,” the two experiences are biologically distinct, says sociologist and clinical sexologist Sarah Melancon, Ph.D, lead researcher and medical review board member with the Women’s Health Initiative. Additionally, “squirting and female ejaculation are scientifically and physiologically different, even if the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.” Both squirting and ejaculation involve the release of fluid from the urethra, but female ejaculation is milkier and released in lower quantities, explains Laino. Further, the two fluids come out of the urethra through separate sources. Female ejaculation comes from bite-sized bulbs of glandular tissues on either side of the urethra (known as the paraurethral glands), while the bladder is believed to be where squirting liquid comes from.Is squirt the same as pee? So you’re probably pondering whether squirt is pee. The answer? Not quite. “Squirting fluid is made up of a mixture of dilute urine substance—which contains lower levels of creatinine and urea than normal urine,” says Melancon. In other words, squirt contains some of the same ingredients as pee but isn’t pee, much like lasagna contains similar ingredients as pizza, while still being markedly different.“Squirt juice is clear, not yellow, and does not smell like pee,” adds Sarah Kelleher, LCSW, CHSE, a sex and relationship psychotherapist and holistic sex educator. But regardless, there is nothing hot about judging other people’s bodies during sex—especially when their happenings are entirely normal (and not to mention sexy). As Howard puts it, “All fluids released during sexual pleasure are erotic.” Can everyone squirt? Research on human sexuality is as sparse as the walls of a home you just moved into. Still, it is unlikely that everyone can squirt (or want to), says Kelleher. “Every body is different,” she says. It makes sense: “Just because two people have the same tools and anatomy does not necessarily mean that they experience the same physiologic response to stimulation,” says Kelleher. Hey, not all people enjoy having their nipples stimulated, either. No matter whether you’re part of the estimated 10 to 54% of women who can squirt, you’re normal! What does squirting feel like? The experience will vary from person to person, and how many times they’ve squirted before. Unfortunately,  many individuals are plagued by stress, shame, and confusion the first few times they squirt, according to Laino. Squirting can be accompanied by a whoosh of wetness and a sensation similar to taking a wee. So often, an individual’s first thought during or after squirting is: “What was that?”However, once individuals move through those initial emotions—usually with a combination of education and a sex-positive partner—the sensation of squirting is a pleasurable one. “If squirting happens during orgasm, it might feel like a natural extension of the orgasm, as both involve the release of tension and a heightened arousal state,” says Kelleher. For some, because squirting involves the physical expulsion of fluid, it may make the orgasm feel even more intense, satisfying, or full-bodied, she says. Some people, on the other hand, may experience squirting outside of an orgasm. When not accompanied by the deep pelvic contractions or emotional intensity associated with orgasm, Kelleher says that squirting may not feel particularly intense. “It might feel like pressure relief or a slight burst,” she says. How to squirt alone or with a partner Start by taking the pressure off“If you…

Article Source > www.wellandgood.com

You know, like not leaking urine (which, sorry, you’ll probably do at some point in your life, whether it’s due to pregnancy, aging, or other stress) and improving your sexual sensation in general. Speaking of, Kegels don’t necessarily tighten your vagina, as people tend to describe it, but they do improve the “tone” and give you the capacity to grip those muscles tighter. And while you can do Kegels without the aid of a product, ~Kegelcisers~ and trackers can be very helpful for people who need a little more guidance, instruction, or motivation. Just make sure to check with your doctor if you’re unsure what you need — a product that is great for one vagina might not be the best for yours.

Article Source > www.buzzfeed.com

Kegal balls or Ben wa balls are great to strength vaginal and pelvic floor muscles as well as give heightened sexual satisfaction.
If you thought that Kegel balls or Ben wa balls are just used as sex toys, you might be highly mistaken. Kegel balls are great for your pelvic floor muscles, besides of course, giving heightened sexual pleasure and satisfaction. However, using kegel balls in the right way is very important to get maximum benefits and keep infections at bay.
Wondering how to use kegel balls and store them, we got you! Health Shots got in touch with gynaecologist Dr Meghana Reddy to understand what kegel balls are used for, their benefits, and how to use it the right way. What are kegel balls? We all know that yoga is great for pelvic floor muscles, but so are kegel balls. Dr Reddy explains, “Kegel balls are used for targeted pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation, particularly addressing issues such as stress urinary incontinence and weakened pelvic organ support post-childbirth or during menopause. Notably, their use can contribute to heightened sexual satisfaction by augmenting vaginal tone and sensitivity, thereby fostering comprehensive sexual wellness.” Kegel balls help you contract as well as release different muscles in an easy manner. She adds, “Kegel balls are often integrated as part of a holistic approach to women’s health, effectively managing diverse pelvic floor disorders and promoting overall physical well-being.”
It;s important to choose the right size and weight of your kegal ball. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock What are the risks involved in using kegel balls? Kegel balls must be totally matched with your size. The correct weight and technique of vaginal insertion is very important while using them. Also, the time that they are inserted for matters a lot. “Risks with Kegel ball use include potential muscle strain from overexertion, especially if held in for prolonged periods. Leaving them inserted for more than four to six hours can result in pelvic muscle fatigue and potential discomfort. It is crucial to use them as recommended to avoid any adverse effects,” says Dr Reddy.
How to prepare kegel balls for insertion? To get ready to use kegel balls, you need to make sure that they are spotlessly clean and ready to use. Dr Reddy explains, “Thoroughly wash them with warm water and antibacterial soap. Make sure there is no residue of lather. Apply a liberal amount of water-based lubricant to ensure smooth and comfortable insertion. Proper preparation ensures a hygienic and comfortable experience during use.”

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How to insert kegal balls? The kegel balls need to be guided in, and applying some sort of lubrication will help. “Kegel balls can be inserted by lying on your back with knees wide, gently guiding the balls about 2 cm into the vagina, ensuring the retrieval string remains outside for easy removal. Proper insertion technique is crucial to ensure comfort and effectiveness during use,” says Dr Reddy.
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Also read: Strengthen your pelvic muscles with these 5 yoga poses What are the ways kegal balls can be used? Well, the ways to use kegel balls can vary depending on the position that you are inserting them in. They can be used in different positions, such as lying on your back, all fours, or even in a standing position. “By engaging the pelvic floor muscles, they effectively aid in muscle strengthening and endurance. Additionally, incorporating them into a regular exercise routine can help improve bladder control, enhance sexual pleasure, and promote better core stability. Regular use can contribute to overall pelvic health and well-being,” explains Dr Reddy. Kegal balls must be cleaned and stored well to avoid infections. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock How to remove kegel balls? The time duration that the kegel balls are inserted needs to be carefully analysed to avoid the risk of injury. “To remove Kegel balls, gently pull the retrieval string until the balls come out of the vagina. It is essential to do this slowly and steadily to ensure a comfortable and safe removal process. Taking care during removal helps prevent any potential discomfort or injury,” warns Dr Reddy.
How to clean and store kegel balls? Making sure that your kegel balls are clean and stored well is integral to you using them properly. If this is not done in the right manner, it can lead to infection. “To clean Kegel balls, wash them thoroughly with warm water and antibacterial soap. After rinsing off any residue, pat them dry with a clean towel and let them air dry to ensure complete dryness. Store them in their case or a clean, dry container to maintain their hygiene and prevent any contamination….

Article Source > www.healthshots.com

Cyclists know that core training is important. But right below your abs is another muscle group that’s often ignored until a problem arises: your pelvic floor. The group comprises the muscular base of the abdomen and is attached to the pelvis. A strong pelvic floor can improve breathing and lead to stronger cycling legs, while poor health can lead to bladder problems, including urinary tract infections. That’s why some trainers are recommending that male and female cyclists add kegels to their regimens. “Cyclists need to do pelvic-floor work,” says Laura Powers, a registered physiotherapist at Active Life Conditioning in Ontario, Canada. “The stronger the pelvic floor is, the better that’s going to help core strength. If yours isn’t working right, your stomach muscles aren’t connecting as well to your legs.” Before you start squeezing your way to better health (and higher speed) here’s everything cyclists need to know about this oft-overlooked muscle group—and how to strengthen and maintain their pelvic floor.Does Your Pelvic Floor Need Help?Before you start working out, make sure there your floor is in good health. How can you tell? It’s simple, says Powers. Your lower abdomen will hurt. “You might have pain with your saddle, hip pain, or tailbone pain,” she says. Women might also feel pain during intercourse, she says. More commonly, you might feel the urge to pee when you ride. That’s a sign that your floor is too loose. “Typical signs and symptoms include stress incontinence, which happens during laughing, sneezing, jumping, running, or having this uncontrollable urge where you don’t think you’ll make it to the bathroom.” Your Floor Could Be Over-TightenedIf that doesn’t sound familiar, you might have the opposite problem—a pelvic floor that’s too tight, which is pretty common among cyclists, says Powers. “It goes with having tight hips, tight IT bands, plus that compression on the saddle. That’s a lot of nerves and arteries that can be compressed, and that causes muscles around them to contract and not relax properly.” As if that weren’t enough reason to consider the kegel, research shows that tight pelvic floors can lead to increased frequency of urinary tract infections. More From Bicycling  RELATED: 6 Things Your Pee Is Trying to Tell YouTrain Your Pelvic FloorTo strengthen your pelvic floor, Powers and physiotherapists like her recommend adding kegels to your workout routine. To do it, focus on the muscles you’d use to stop peeing mid-stream. Contract them for five seconds, then slowly release for five seconds. Try not to work your butt, leg, or ab muscles. Do sets of 10 three times a day and you’ll be on your way to a healthier, stronger, happier abdomen.

Article Source > www.bicycling.com

__How to do it:__Start by instinctively squeezing the muscles you’d use to stop the flow of urine. Got ’em? Great. Now hold them in (squeeeeze!) for 10 seconds, and then relax for 10 seconds. Build up to five sets of 10 squeezes. As you get more advanced, there are several variations and speeds to try (and I can get to that another day!), but the most important part is just sticking with them.Here’s how this magical exercise translate into better sex: The muscles that you’re strengthening, also known as the “pc” (pubococcygeus) muscles, are the same ones that contract during an orgasm. If you strengthen and tone them with regular workouts, it will amplify those sensations and make it easier to reach climax during sex.Having strong pelvic floor muscles will also make your vagina feel tighter, potentially making your orgasm much more intense. So, you know, bonus!One of the hardest parts of keeping up with your Kegels is knowing how to do them RIGHT. Luckily, there’s now a new addition to your goodie drawer that actually does you Kegels for you, and can give you orgasms in the process! The Intensity by Pour Moi is an innovative “sexual wellness meets sex toy” product that is a total pelvic floor game-changer. It takes al the effort out of Kegels, leaving nothing but the benefits!After a few weeks of dedicated Kegel exercises, that vaginal orgasm should come at last. If not, you’ll still have increased sensitivity, heightened orgasms (yes, even clitoral ones) and a healthy pelvic floor.XO,EmilyEmily Morse is a sexologist, host of the Sex With Emily podcast, and cofounder of the intimate care line Emily & Tony. She has a doctorate in human sexuality and is the author of Hot Sex: Over 200 Things You Can Try Tonight and a weekly cohost of the nationally syndicated radio show Loveline With Dr. Drew Pinsky.Watch: The Female Orgasm, Explained With Science Projects

Article Source > www.glamour.com

If you ever pee a little when you sneeze, cough, or laugh—or complain about your postpartum sex life—you probably have received this advice from a well-meaning friend or even your doctor: “Do your Kegels.” (Check out these 8 solutions for a leaky bladder.)Kegels, named after the MD who popularized them, are pelvic floor exercises that work and strengthen the muscles surrounding the vagina and the rectum and promise everything from better bladder control to stronger orgasms. The key to a correct Kegel is isolating the pelvic floor muscles and then squeezing and lifting. “Imagine that you are sitting on a marble and want to pick up the marble with your vagina,” instructs the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Imagine ‘sucking’ the marble into your vagina.”(Discover the ONE simple, natural solution that can help you reverse chronic inflammation and heal more than 45 diseases. Try The Whole Body Cure today!)Simple enough, right? But it’s not as easy as it sounds, and plenty of women get it wrong.“Patients come in and say they’ve been doing their Kegels, and it turns out they’re doing them backwards or maybe they don’t even need to do Kegels at all,” says April Dominick, a pelvic health physical therapist affiliated with Memorial Hermann Pelvic Floor Health Center in Houston, Texas. “If you don’t know how to do them right, you could be making matters worse.”Watch out for these five super common mistakes.Mistake #1: Holding your breathYou should breathe normally while doing Kegels, Dominick says. Otherwise, you may not be isolating the correct muscles. “A lot of times women are not really aware of their pelvic floor muscles so they’re just trying to tighten anything they can. Holding your breath increases intra-abdominal pressure, so that can make you feel like you’re doing something.” (Strengthening your pelvic floor can help you orgasm. Here are 6 easy exercises to get you started.)Strengthen your pelvic floor with pilates:​​Mistake #2: Forgetting the liftMany women believe that a Kegel is just a squeeze, says Mercedes Eustergerling, a pelvic floor physiotherapist in Calgary, Canada. However, you can’t forget the “lift.” “I like to tell my patients to use visualization. Imagine picking up a blueberry or drinking a thick milkshake…with your vagina.”MORE: 5 Sex Positions You Should Finish With For An Orgasmic Grand FinaleMistake #3: OverachievingThe biggest mistake that women make when they’re doing Kegel exercises is trying too hard, says Eustergerling. “These are small muscles that do subtle movements.”Erin Weber, a physical therapist in Brooklyn who specializes in pelvic floor therapy, says she starts out by having patients lie on their backs with knees bent, which eliminates the forces of gravity and allows them to become more aware of the specific muscles they need to focus on. “I cue them to draw up and in, narrowing the space between their sit bones and closing the space from their coccyx bone to their pubic bone.” Also important: Keep the inner thighs and glutes relaxed.Mistake #4: Letting your glutes do the workWhen pelvic muscles are weak, sometimes the body compensates by using other muscles, such as the thighs, abdominals, or buttocks, says Dominick. To avoid this, she suggests a quick check while Kegel-ing: Place one hand under your butt and the other on your abs. If you feel a large movement or contraction from the buttock or abdominals, it’s a sign that you’re not concentrating on the right muscles. (If you do want a shapely butt, this is the one powerhouse exercise you should be doing.)To reduce reliance on the stronger muscles in your body, Dominick suggests lying on your back and putting your legs up on a couch seat or a chair so that your hips and knees make a 90-degree angle. “This will make it harder for your body to compensate for weak pelvic floor muscles by using the legs during a Kegel.”MORE: The Best Sex Positions For Your 30s, 40s, 50s, And 60sMistake #5: Waiting too long to see resultsIf done regularly (a few times every day), you should expect to see results pretty quickly, says Weber, who treats many women after childbirth. “I often have patients who notice a reduction in urinary incontinence after a week of performing the exercises. Once you are able to isolate the muscles properly and contract them, you can better facilitate your pelvic floor muscles during daily activities.” (If you have a leaky bladder, here’s a tampon-like device that can prevent bladder leaks.)If you’ve been doing Kegels for weeks and everything down there seems pretty much status quo, talk to your doctor. You might need some training—or maybe you don’t need Kegels at all. For example, some women who experience pelvic pain and discomfort actually have tight pelvic floor muscles and need a different approach. “This group should not be performing Kegels,” Weber says. Instead, “I have them work…

Article Source > www.prevention.com

The fertility market is projected to be worth more than $30 billion by 2025, and today on the Disrupt Startup Battlefield stage, a new device called the Kegg, a Bluetooth-connected silicone kegel ball that monitors mucus to help determine a woman’s fertility by being inserted for no more than two minutes every day, is launching a device it hopes will make some waves in it — literally and figuratively.
The device, when shipped in the near future, will sell for less than $200.
For the uninitiated, a kegel ball is an object that a woman places in her vaginal passage. Designed to be held in place by a woman’s kegel muscles (also known as the pelvic floor), holding a kegel ball in place helps to exercise those muscles and strengthen them — which can be useful to help recover after you’ve given birth, to keep yourself from involuntarily peeing as you age and (yes) to make sex more enjoyable. (It’s not a completely glamorous list, but one that I’d argue is pretty useful for many women.)
Kegg’s product takes that one step further and creates another use case by using it to measure mucus viscosity, with the daily, two-minute measurements producing a cycle that looks something like this:

In doing so, it is also exploring another aspect of fertility that’s not typically a part of many consumer-focused assistants: the viscosity of the mucus in a woman’s vaginal passage.
We have seen a wave of startups (and more traditional female health businesses) emerge in the last several years that are focused on tracking metrics like pulse and body temperature or your ovulation cycle to determine your fertility window. (There is even a kegel ball-based device on the market that measures your temperature, alongside other connected kegel balls.)
Mucus is another important determinant of what is going on. As an egg gets released from a woman’s ovary, the consistency of the mucus changes. Not only does the viscosity give you an indication of where the egg is in its travels out of the ovary, but the more viscose it gets, the more viable it is for holding sperm to survive for longer before they connect with the egg. (Typically sperm do not survive for that long, and so the thicker the mucus, the bigger window you have for that sperm getting to the egg to fertilize it.)
The Kegg comes with two gold bands on it that emit electric pulses that are used to measure the thickness of the mucus.
Using analyzer chips on a custom-designed PCB inside the Kegg, the device monitors the response from the mucus surrounding the Kegg’s sensors. It then “reads” the electro-chemical properties in the mucus to detect which electrolytes are present in the mucus. And this in turn is sent to the cloud for further processing through Kegg’s algorithm, ultimately determining the consistency of the mucus. 

Kristina Cahojova, the CEO and founder of Lady Technologies (the startup behind the Kegg), says her team chose to focus on mucus because it’s too difficult, if not impossible, to use the other metrics to determine fertility if a woman has an irregular cycle, there are already a lot of products out there that are already measuring those metrics for those who are regular and there weren’t any products like the Kegg on the market already today.
“The tech has been around for 50 years,” she said, in reference to the ability to measure the viscosity of the mucus and tie that to a specific woman’s fertility. And yet, there have been very few products created based on it up to now.
Indeed, the most well-known consumer-focused product on the market today that measures a woman’s mucus is the OvuCue, which retails for more than $200 and is a larger and more complex probe. “I think you have to be a woman to invent something like this,” Cahojova said of the Kegg.
Right now, the Kegg is only using its measurements to help define the window for when you might be most fertile, but of course there are potentially many other areas of women’s health that could be informed by way of the diagnostics it is picking up, provided the startup finds the funding and manages to make it through the regulatory hoops to do so.
The bigger picture that we should all find encouraging is that the rise of connected devices, big data analytics and ever-more medical research is coming together to give us a much better idea of what is going on with our bodies, and what we can do differently to help influence the outcomes. Cahojova also sees the benefit of that competition.
“It’s very nice that users have a lot of options,” she said. “For me none of the existing options happened to work because I am very irregular. We are trying to address how to reduce fertility stress for other irregular women.”

Article Source > techcrunch.com

Photo: Peter Willi/Getty Images/SuperStock RM

According to the NIH, roughly one in four women are affected by pelvic-floor problems, which typically occur when the pelvic floor is weakened or injured. This can often happen after childbirth or simply as you age. Kegel exercises can help strengthen the pelvic floor and can increase both the duration and intensity of orgasms. As physical therapist Amy Stein, the author of Heal Pelvic Pain and owner of Beyond Basics Physical Therapy, explains: “The pelvic floor connects from the pubic bone in the front to the tailbone at the back and out to the sides of the hips, so it literally makes a bowl.” To determine whether you’re experiencing pelvic-floor weakness, many of the nine experts we talked to recommend the “pee test”: When you go to urinate, squeeze your muscles and try to stop the flow of urine. If the flow does not stop, it is a strong indicator that you could be a good candidate for Kegels.

Physical therapist Heather Jeffcoat, the author of Sex Without Pain and owner of Femina Physical Therapy, cautions not to start Kegel exercises if you’re experiencing pelvic pain, but says that “otherwise, Kegels are a great way to help get your sexual and pelvic health [get] back on-track.” Still, Stein strongly recommends talking with a doctor or physical therapist before starting a Kegel regimen. That’s because the exercises can cause more harm than good if you perform them when you don’t have to, according to many of our experts. Pelvic floor problems typically occur when the muscles that make up the bowl are too tight or too lax (conditions otherwise known as a high-tone or low-tone pelvic floor), and if your muscles are too tight, Kegels can lead to a variety of problems, including urinary and bowel issues, poor sexual functioning, and even pelvic pain. To help those who’ve been given a green light for a Kegel regimen, we asked our experts about the best Kegel exercisers. Their 11 favorites — which range from basic Kegel weights to vibrating exercisers to smart devices that give biofeedback via apps — are below. No matter which you choose, sex and relationship therapist Cyndi Darnell recommends that “all Kegel exercisers should be used with a water-based, glycerin free lubricant to ensure easy insertion and an irritation-free experience” — so you might want to check out our guide to the best personal lubricants once you’ve settled on your preferred Kegel tool.

If you’re unsure how to properly perform a Kegel, opting for a device that has biofeedback technology — or sensors in the device that tell you how well you’re doing your Kegels — may be a good place to start. Many women may accidentally “push out, instead of contracting upwards,” explains physical therapist Jandra Mueller, the clinic director of the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center. She and three of our other experts recommend the Elvie Trainer, which utilizes biofeedback technology to measure the force and motion of a contraction in order to detect when a user is exercising incorrectly. It has a “comfortable fit, is compact and sleek looking, and has an app that connects to your phone,” according to Mueller, who told us that the physical therapists at her practice routinely recommend the Elvie to patients for at-home use. The well-designed app makes it easier to visualize what’s going on internally, adds sex therapist Jamye Waxman. “The app helps monitor your progress and can really motivate you to see results,” she explains. The Elvie is made with medical-grade silicone and, as sex and relationship therapist Megan Fleming notes, is also waterproof, so you can use it in the bath or shower. It also comes with a guide to six unique workouts that challenge and strengthen different muscles at four different intensity levels (training, beginner, intermediate, and advanced).

“The kGoal is a squeezable, silicone ‘pillow,’ that is inserted into the vagina,” explains New York City–based pelvic floor therapist Lindsey Vestal, who has run workshops teaching men and women about Kegels for the past six years. Like the Elvie, the kGoal delivers real-time biofeedback to your smartphone, ensuring that your Kegels are being done correctly. It also tracks your performance and progress over time and allows you to calculate your regimen. The biggest difference between this and the Elvie is that the kGoal’s “pillow design enables it to fit better inside the user’s individual vagina,” according to Vestal. Simply insert it when it’s deflated and then inflate it to fit…

Article Source > nymag.com

Menopause can introduce lots of changes to your body, but one of the most challenging  is the weakening of your pelvic floor: the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that support the organs in your pelvis. When the pelvic floor weakens, it can cause symptoms ranging from incontinence or prolapse to intimacy problems and more.“The pelvic floor is located in the lowest part of your pelvis,” says Roberta Blandon, MD, a urogynecologist with Edward-Elmhurst Health in Naperville, Illinois, “and supports your bladder, uterus, rectum, and vagina, and aids in the functioning of these organs.”It can change during the strain of pregnancy and childbirth, but also occurs during menopause, when the hormonal shifts that women experience can cause the tissues to thin, contributing to the weakening of the pelvic floor, says Dr. Blandon.And these changes can cause symptoms that linger for years. While the average age of menopause is 51, she says, women live decades after that, so it’s relatively common for women in their 60s or 70s to experience urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, which occurs when an organ slips down from its usual position in the body, says Blandon. Other factors, such as being overweight, having a chronic cough, or being constipated, can also contribute to a weakening of the pelvic floor.Exercising the Pelvic Floor Can Help Build Strength and Lessen Menopausal SymptomsTo combat these changes, you may want to start doing Kegel exercises, which act as a workout to strengthen your pelvic floor. “This allows you to better control your bladder, prevent mild to moderate cases of incontinence, or delay the appearance of symptoms like bulging,” says Blandon. In fact, the American College of Physicians recommends pelvic floor training as a first-line treatment for urinary incontinence.If you’re suffering from pain during sex or problems with arousal or dryness, doing Kegels may help relax the vaginal muscles and improve circulation to the area, which can boost arousal and lubrication, according to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. That said, when it comes to pain during sex, jumping right into Kegels isn’t the answer. Rather, you should be evaluated by your doctor for other causes first, says Blandon, including a urinary tract infection (UTI), muscle spasms, or dryness.It may seem daunting to speak up about your symptoms, even to your own doctor. But if, say, you’re a runner who’s not able to go for your morning jog or you’re in pain during intercourse with your partner, you shouldn’t have to live with those bothersome symptoms.And that’s where Kegel exercises can come in handy. A review of 2,394 women with urinary incontinence published in May 2018 in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging found that pelvic floor training, which includes Kegels, helped improve the women’s quality of life. That’s important, say researchers, who point out that urinary incontinence causes people to change their lifestyle so much that they’re more at risk for isolation, reduced sexual activity, and depression.Additionally, an October 2018 Cochrane review concluded that pelvic floor training could “reduce the number of leakage episodes” and the amount of leakage a person experiences, so much so that it can be considered a cure for stress urinary incontinence. So Kegels can be a relatively simple way to better your health.How to Do Kegels Correctly One of the best things about Kegels is that you can do them anywhere. But it’s important to do them correctly.It can be difficult to know if you’re contracting the right group of muscles, says Blandon. For example, she says that some people incorrectly think a Kegel involves tightening their core or closing their legs. Here are three ways to know if you’re performing these exercises correctly.Imagine you’re trying to stop yourself from passing gas. Squeeze your rectal muscles.Position yourself in front of a mirror and look at your vaginal opening. “Try to squeeze the space between your vagina and rectum, which is called the perineum,” says Blandon.Insert a clean finger into your vagina and squeeze. “You should feel the muscles of the vagina tighten around your finger. Being able to trap your finger in there is a sign of a strong Kegel,” says Blandon.Hold each squeeze for three to five seconds and then relax. That’s one “rep” or sequence, says Blandon. Perform 10 reps, three times per day. Kegels can be done lying down, sitting up, or standing.“Just like exercising any other muscle groups, like your abs, you want to start slow,” she says.To get in the habit of doing them, set reminders on your phone. You can also build them into your day, like as soon as you go to bed, while a commercial is on TV, or when you’re sitting at a red light. “By introducing Kegels into your daily routine, it will be easier to do them on a regular basis,” says Blandon.For more moderate or severe symptoms, Kegels…

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