Ask Gerda: When Do I Need to Start Doing Kegels—and How?
Dear goop, I thought the pelvic floor was something I didn’t have to worry about until after menopause, but my doctor said that I should start exercising it now, before I give birth. Is there anything other than Kegels I should know about? —Andrea O.
Hi Andrea, Kudos to your doctor for having a preventative approach. We’re told to do weight-bearing exercises for strong bones and to do aerobic exercise for cardiovascular fitness, but we don’t pay enough attention to the muscles that hold up our internal organs, even though we need them to keep the bladder from leaking and for sexual health.
The pelvic floor muscles form a sling that supports the bladder, rectum, and vagina. These muscles need to contract and relax for urination, bowel movements, and sexual function. They need to be in good shape early in life to deal with childbirth and later in life to make sure that urine doesn’t leak out while you’re laughing or coughing—and all along for good sex.
As with any muscle, you don’t want pelvic floor muscles to be weak, but you don’t want them to be contracted all the time either, which occurs in pelvic floor dysfunction. Kegel exercises teach the pelvic floor muscles to contract strongly, and it’s important to do Kegels correctly to also teach these muscles how to relax. My absolute favorite way to do Kegels is with the Elvie Trainer. Download the app and your phone will gently remind you when it’s time. Slip in the trainer as you would a tampon—it measures the force of your contractions and links to the app, taking you through fun, gamelike exercises. And it makes sure that you relax in between. The Elvie Trainer is a beautiful product that would make a great gift, too.
The vFit takes a different approach to pelvic floor health: multimodal vaginal toning. It uses heat, red light, and vibration, and it’s designed to boost blood circulation and stimulate cell metabolism. In preliminary clinical research, using the vFit for just ten minutes every other day resulted in better bladder control and improved pelvic muscle strength.
You can add a whole other dimension to your pelvic floor health with the Lorox Body Sphere from Lauren Roxburgh—it’s especially good for relaxing chronically contracted muscles. Roxburgh’s video shows you how to use the Body Sphere to strengthen and then soften the pelvic floor. For a holistic approach to pelvic floor health, read Roxburgh’s wonderful book The Power Source, which includes exercises using the Body Sphere and much more.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views goop.
