Did you know that 1 in 4 women has a pelvic floor disorder that can cause bothersome problems? Although pelvic problems can be tough to talk about, waiting to get help will only make things worse. Female reproductive health doesn’t have to be mysterious and overlooked.
One way to strengthen your pelvic floor is to do kegels. What are kegels? They’re an exercise that helps improve your pelvic floor, which can prevent bladder leaks, and it can improve your orgasms as well.
Ready to learn more about kegel exercises? Let’s get started.
Importance of Kegel Exercises
When these muscles that support your pelvic organs become weaker then your pelvic organs droop into the pelvis. This is called a pelvic organ prolapse.
There are several factors that cause pelvic organ prolapse; let’s dive into all of the different factors. These include:
- Weight gain/being overweight
- Genetics
- Surgery in your pelvic area
- Natural aging process
- Certain exercises and contact sports
- Frequently coughing, laughing, or sneezing
Although it can be frustrating to learn that your pelvic floor muscles aren’t as strong as they should be, there are solutions. You’ll benefit from doing kegel exercises if you:
- Feel the need to urinate right before losing a lot of urine
- Dripping some urine while laughing, coughing, or sneezing
- Leak stool
The best part about kegels is that you can perform them during pregnancy or after childbirth to help improve these symptoms.
Keep in mind that kegels work differently for each person. While some people end up showing improvement in their muscle control while others keep a condition from getting worse.
Locate Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Now that you have an understanding of what can cause a pelvic organ prolapse and some of the benefits that kegel exercises provide, it’s time to understand your anatomy better. Your pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that form a sort of ‘hammock’ that runs between the pubic bone in the front of your body to your tailbone.
It’s easy to find your pelvic floor muscles. Next time you’re sitting on the toilet, try to stop the flow of your urine. Be careful to do this for a short period of time because stopping and starting urine flow can lead to other problems, like a urinary tract infection.
You can also find your pelvic floor muscles by placing a finger in your vagina and squeezing the muscles around it, and there should be pressure around your finger. If you feel muscles lifting inside you, then you’re doing it right.
Performing Kegel Exercises
So you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles, and now you’re ready to perform the exercises. Kegel exercises simply involve lifting, holding, then relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. You can start by only doing a few exercises over a short period of time and then increase the number of exercises and length of time for each session.
Start with at least two sets of exercises a day.
You begin the exercise by lifting and holding for at least three seconds and then relaxing for three seconds. Repeat this movement ten times. This is one set.
Start by doing this set of exercises at least two times a day. As you continue to improve and get more comfortable with doing them, increase all of these numbers. The goal is to increase the number of exercises making up a set, how many you’re doing a day, and the length of time that you lift, hold and relax.
Although you may start with three seconds of holding and three for relaxing, increase it to five seconds the next time.
If you’ve never done kegel exercises before, it can feel a little strange, but once you get used to them, you’ll be able to perform them throughout the day.
When to Expect Results
Don’t be embarrassed if you’re having trouble doing kegel exercises. It’s not often talked about, and without the help of a health care provider, it’s difficult to tell if you’re doing it correctly. That’s why it’s important to talk to the right gynecologist if you have any concerns.
Your doctor can give you important feedback, so you’re able to exercise and isolate the right muscles.
You can also try two other techniques to help your pelvic floor muscles if kegel exercises aren’t working. There’s electric stimulation and biofeedback training. Electric simulation recreates the feeling of what a properly done kegel exercise feels like, and biofeedback helps determine if the correct muscles are being squeezed.
Biofeedback is done by a health care professional, and it involves placing a probe in the vagina. When you do a kegel exercise, there’s a monitor that shows you if the right muscles are being squeezed.
If kegel exercises are done regularly, you can expect results within a few weeks to a few months. Make these exercises a permanent part of your daily routine for the best outcome.
What Are Kegels?
It’s no secret that women’s reproductive health is often neglected, but by being able to openly discuss common concerns, we can find solutions. Pelvic floor disorders can occur after childbirth, from aging, or as a genetic condition. Fortunately, you can strengthen your pelvic floor with kegels.
There are many people who wonder ‘what are kegels?’ and feel a sense of relief when they realize it’s an option. Remember to speak to your gynecologist about any additional reproductive health concerns you may have.
Looking for more articles like this? Be sure to check out the health section of our blog!
Hemant Kumar is a project manager at Tridindia with more than nine years of commendable experience in writing about LMS, translation, and IT. His unmatched talent and passion for digital marketing gave him the opportunity to work as a multi-tasking project manager at TridIndia’s sister company, Link Building Corp. Today, he contributes to the world by imparting knowledge on SEO, link building and internet marketing etc., that helps business owners grow their online business.
