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Increasing Vaginal Muscle Tone:
Kegels for Sexual Health

by Tamar Love

If you're like most people, you've heard of Kegels. If you're a man, your girlfriend may have tried them on you during intercourse. If you're a woman, you might know that practicing the rhythmic contraction of certain parts of your vagina can increase vaginal health and sexual pleasure. If you've had babies, your OB/GYN probably told you that practicing Kegels will help you snap your vagina back into shape after childbirth.

Unfortunately, that's the limit of most people's knowledge about Kegels, one of the most useful—and most easily performed—exercises for increasing sexual health and pleasure.

What are Kegel exercises? A brief history...

Developed in 1946 by Dr. Arnold Kegel, a Los Angeles Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Kegels are the rhythmic clenching and unclenching of the pubococcygeal (PC) muscle—also known as the pelvic floor—the internal sling of muscle stretching from your pubic bone to your tailbone. The PC muscle encircles the urinary opening, the anus, the perineum and the vaginal opening, controlling your ability to "hold your water." As people age, this muscle becomes weaker, causing incontinence and a slew of other problems. By performing Kegels, you strengthen this muscle, which decreases the likelihood that you'll need to wear diapers when you get older.

Dr. Kegel originally advocated exercising the PC muscle as a remedy for incontinence and as an alternative to surgery for women. However, Kegels were soon recommended to new mothers after childbirth as a method for tightening vaginal muscles and regaining vaginal muscle tone. More recently, Kegels have been used to strengthen the PC muscle prior to childbirth, easing the process of labor—at least in theory! Most doctors now agree that all women, regardless of age or maternal status, should perform Kegels regularly for a number of health reasons.

However, many women perform Kegels for a purely sensual reason: since the PC muscle also encircles the outside of the vagina, Kegels enthusiasts can experience a stronger potential for orgasm, enhanced G-Spot sensitivity, and increased sexual awareness. Some people even claim that Kegels can increase the intensity of a woman's orgasm—or help a woman to achieve multiple orgasms. And there's no question that performing Kegels during intercourse provides a pleasant "gripping" sensation for your partner, enhancing your lovemaking and increasing the intensity of his orgasm.

Why should I do Kegels?

Kegels help your body in all kinds of wonderful ways. Regularly practicing Kegels can help you:

• Strengthen the floor muscle supporting the bladder, urethra and vagina.
• Prevent prolapse and incontinence.
• Help relax muscles during birth.
• Promote perineal healing after birth.
• Restore vaginal muscle tone in the vagina after birth.
• Increase blood flow to the genitals, increasing sensitivity.
• Become more aware of what's going on in your genital area, increasing your sexual comfort.
• Experience an increase in sexual arousal.
  
• Feel your partner inside you during intercourse.
• Pull and squeeze your partner's penis (which may also feel bigger!).
• Experience more control in bed.
• Reach orgasm more easily.
• Experience stronger and better orgasms.
• Experience multiple orgasms.
• Experience more sexual satisfaction.
• Take pride in your vaginal strength—as you would in your toned body.

So I guess the question is, why shouldn't you do Kegels? Happily, there's no answer. You'll only experience positive effects from practicing Kegels.

How do I perform Kegels?

Kegels are the easiest exercise in the world to perform, mostly because you can do them anywhere, any time, and no one will know. Imagine the thrill of being stuck in rush hour traffic, late for dinner and stressed about your day, but experiencing inner peace and increased vaginal strength—because you are performing your Kegels, right there, right then, in front of all those people. It kind of makes you giggle.

The first step is identifying the PC muscle. The next time you urinate, sit on the toilet with your legs spread comfortably apart. See if you can stop and start the flow of urine without moving your legs or squeezing your buttocks together. If you're doing it right, you'll feel an internal flexing and tightening beneath your bladder. Congratulations! You've found your PC muscle.

If you don't find it the first time, try again the next time you have to urinate. You'll eventually find it. But be careful—stopping your urine flow in this way too often might lead to a bladder or urinary tract infection. It's okay to use this method to find the PC muscle, but make sure you aren't urinating when you actually begin practicing your Kegels.

Once you've found your PC muscle, you're ready to start performing Kegels. Follow these steps:

1. Breathe normally.
2. Contract your PC muscle.
3. Hold for a count of five.
4. Relax your PC muscle.
5. Repeat 10 times.

That's it. No, really. Of course, to have any effect, you'll need to repeat this series from eight to 10 times a day. But it shouldn't be too difficult—you can perform Kegels in any position, except lying down. Try to connect Kegels practice with routine daily activities: brushing your teeth, working out, preparing meals, attending meetings ... whatever works best for you. Your muscles may feel a little tired at first, but as with all new exercise regimens, continued practice will strengthen the muscles, decreasing your level of fatigue.

For best results, you need to do these exercises every day. Within a few months, you'll notice a change in your bladder control and an increase in sexual function, depending on how assiduously you practice.

Variations

• Slow Kegels: Tighten the PC muscle and hold it for a slow count of three. Relax and repeat 10 times.
• Quick Kegels: Tighten and relax the PC muscle as rapidly as you can for about 10 seconds (it's longer than you think!).
• Big Moves: Using your abdominal and PC muscles, tighten the entire pelvic floor, then push out or bear down. Repeat five times.
• Fluttering: Quickly tighten and release your PC muscle in a fluttering movement for ten seconds. Telax for ten seconds and repeat.
  

Should men do Kegels?

Yes! Regular practice of Kegels can help men experience a more pleasurable, forceful ejaculation, and help stave off ejaculation during intercourse. Kegels can also give men a stronger, harder erection.

Men do Kegels just as women would—they can even sit on the toilet while identifying their PC muscle. Men probably won't experience arousal while practicing Kegels, so they can practice Kegels anywhere, too.

Kegels and masturbation

A great way to practice Kegels is to do them while masturbating. You can practice Kegels while enjoying external, clitoral stimulation, or tighten your muscles around a vibrator or dildo. You might also try wearing Ben Wa balls when you practice Kegels throughout the day—in addition to having a fun little secret, you'll have something to tighten your muscles around ... and an ever present reminder to increase your vaginal muscle tone!

Remember...

Results will vary. Even the most diligent practice cannot guarantee huge, crashing multiple orgasms—your body is unique. However, you will very likely experience increased sexual health and awareness (and a lessened chance for needing Depends!), so do your Kegels every day, without fail, and hope for the best!

Read More

Lube Revue: The Definitive Guide to Slippery Sex
Sex and the Mid-Life Change
The Bastardization of Dr. Kegel's Exercises
What Happened to My Sex Drive?!?
Five Steps to a Healthier Sex Life
The Human Sexual Response Cycle
About.com Subject Directory: Sexual and Reproductive Health

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