What are Kegels and Why are They Important?

To understand why kegels are important, first let’s talk about your pelvic floor muscles.  What are the pelvic floor muscles you ask?  Pelvic floor muscles run through your lower pelvis toward the base of your spine.  They are the muscles responsible for holding your pelvic organs in place (bladder, uterus, vagina, bowel).  These muscles can become weak after pregnancy, and also as we age in the peri-menopausal years and beyond.  The most prominent symptoms of a weak pelvic floor is urinary incontinence.  Occasionally weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to bowel incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

Kegels are an exercise that you can do to help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.  It is simple to do and can be done anytime throughout the day!  If you are having trouble finding the right muscle to tighten, an easy way to find it is to try and stop your stream of urine while you are going to the bathroom.  It is recommended that you only do this once or twice to learn the correct muscle group; otherwise you may develop a urinary tract infection.  Other methods to find your pelvic floor muscles include putting a finger in your vagina and squeezing the muscles around your finger.  You can also pretend you are sitting on a marble and try to pick up the “marble” with your vagina.

Squeeze pelvic floor muscles for 6-8 seconds.  Do this 8-12 times, three times a day.  Do this 3-4 times a week, or more if able.  An easy way to remember to do them is to associate them with meals, do them before or after breakfast, lunch and dinner!  It is easy to find time to do them (you can even do them at your desk at work!) since there is no equipment or fitness wear required!

It takes a while to notice the benefit of kegels, so keep it up for 3-4 months.  At this point, you may notice less urine leakage (especially during coughing, laughing, sneezing or straining.  You also may have less intense and sudden urges to urinate.  You can also better control the release of bowel movements and gas and reduce pressure in the vagina from the pelvic organs.  Another benefit of kegels include improved sexual health.  These exercises can improve painful intercourse by helping the vagina to relax more.  It can also increase a woman’s sexual arousal and ability to reach orgasm.  They can also increase blood circulation to the vagina as well as increase vaginal tone and lubrication, which can diminish during menopause.

With so many benefits, and so little effort required, what are you waiting for?