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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

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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…

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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…

Article Source > www.everydayhealth.com

Many of us know Kegels as the dreaded exercise our doctor tells us to do while standing in line at the store or sitting at a red light, but these pelvic floor exercises have a valuable place in your daily to-do list during pregnancy. Named after gynecologist Arnold Kegel, these exercises can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which stretch during pregnancy and childbirth. If done correctly, Kegels can minimize stretching and make the muscles in your pelvic and vaginal area strong. Sherry A. Ross, MD, an OB-GYN at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, says your doctor may suggest a regular Kegel routine during pregnancy — which makes sense, especially since you need these muscles strong to assist during labor and to help minimize postpartum incontinence. If this is your first baby, you may not understand the critical role these muscles play after childbirth. But once you hit the postpartum stage, you’ll soon discover the importance of your pelvic floor muscles. Not only do they support the reproductive organs and control bladder and bowel function, Ross says strong pelvic floor muscles can also help delay or prevent pelvic organ prolapse and other related symptoms. And if done correctly and repeatedly, she also points out that you can avoid symptoms such as stress and urge incontinence that can result from childbirth as well as plain ol’ aging. Ideally, your pelvic floor is active — both contracting and releasing —throughout all daily activities, from sitting to standing to recruitment during exercise. But once you understand how to find your pelvic floor muscles and the steps to perform a Kegel, you can do these exercises anywhere and without anyone even knowing. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, Ross says to follow these steps:Go to the bathroom. While urinating, stop the flow midstream and hold it for 3 seconds.Relax, allowing the flow of urine to continue. Repeat. While it may take a few tries to find the right muscles to tighten or squeeze, if you stick with it, you’ll be busting out multiple sets of Kegels in no time. Now that you know how to identify these important muscles, it’s time to learn how to incorporate Kegel exercises into your daily routine. The thing to remember, as with all muscles, says Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, the owner of FeminaPT.com, is they need to be able to contract well but also relax and lengthen. “This is especially important as the pelvic floor needs to lengthen during pregnancy and vaginal delivery,” she adds. When doing Kegels, Jeffcoat says to perform them from the back to the front, meaning, from the anus towards the vagina. If done correctly, Jeffcoat says you will also feel a gentle contraction with flattening of your lower abs.“The number of Kegels you should do to maintain your fitness level varies and depends on factors such as rehabilitating from an injury, dealing with stress incontinence or prolapse, or pelvic pain,” Jeffcoat says. If there are no symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, Jeffcoat recommends the following protocol:Contract or tighten the muscles for 3 seconds. Rest for 3 seconds. Do 2 sets of 10 to 15 every other day.Alternate with quick contractions of 2 sets of 10 to 15 on the other days.If remembering to contract these powerhouse muscles is a problem, Jeffcoat says there are Bluetooth enabled devices that can give you feedback. “In my office, we recommend using the Attain, which provides visual feedback plus pelvic floor muscle electrical stimulation to assist with your pelvic floor contractions,” she adds. Kegels are a pelvic floor muscle contraction, so like any muscle in your body, you should be attentive to strengthening them throughout your lifespan.For many women, doing Kegels during pregnancy is a safe and effective way to keep the pelvic floor muscles strong. However, Jeffcoat says if you are experiencing pelvic, abdominal, hip, or back pain, doing Kegels may be one factor feeding into your pain cycle. “Examples of pelvic and abdominal pain that should give a woman pause to consider the appropriateness of Kegels are if they have symptoms such as bladder pain (painful bladder syndrome or interstitial cystitis), vulvodynia, vestibulodynia, vaginismus, dyspareunia or painful intercourse, urinary urgency and/or frequency, endometriosis, or constipation,” she explains. If you are experiencing any of these conditions, Jeffcoat strongly recommends getting an evaluation by a pelvic floor physical therapist who can help direct a woman’s plan of care.The benefits of Kegel exercises, says Jamie Lipeles, DO, an OB-GYN and founder of Marina OB-GYN in Marina Del Rey, include:stronger pelvic floor musclesbetter control of the urinary bladderbetter control of avoiding rectal incontinencea tighter vagina, which can lead to more pleasurable sexAdditionally, Jeffcoat says what many people don’t know is that Kegel exercises can also help with postural support. “This extra support is essential in reducing other…

Article Source > www.healthline.com

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