Pregnancy and childbirth can take a toll on your body. This is an unfortunate fact of the process. Thankfully, your body is far more resilient than you may realize. With some exercises and self-care, you can get yourself back into pre-pregnancy shape in good order. Kegel exercises are one such way of restoring your health and well-being. 

As you go through the process of carrying a baby, the pressure and strain of carrying the child can the muscles of the pelvic floor. This leads to other issues. Kegel exercises can get the pelvic floor muscles back in shape. 

There are no real mystery things like Kegel exercises. Just like any other exercise, they are designed to work the muscles in such a way to build strength and get you back in shape. It is simply that we are not used to working on this muscle system. 

If you are not familiar with Kegel exercises, or if you just need to know more about them to do them correctly, this guide is for you. What are Kegel exercises? What is the purpose of Kegel exercises? And how do you do Kegel exercises? This guide will get you on your way to being back in pre-pregnancy shape.  

What are Kegel Exercises?

Many things can lead to a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. Pregnancy and childbirth are the most common causes of weakened pelvic floor muscles. Other causes include excessive straining due to constipation and chronic coughing. Obesity is also a leading cause of weakened pelvic floor muscles. 

Sings that the muscles of the pelvic floor have become weakened include:

• Leaking a few drops of urine while sneezing, laughing, or coughing (often called stress incontinence).
• A strong urge to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine (urinary urge incontinence).
• Leak stool (fecal incontinence). 

Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and can reverse or stop these forms of incontinence. Kegel exercises are simple clench-and-release exercises that build up the muscles of the pelvic floor. This is the area between the hips that holds your reproductive organs in place. 

The pelvic floor is a series of muscles and tissues that hold together to form a sling at the bottom of your pelvis. This sling holds your organs in place. When the pelvic floor muscles and tissues become weakened you can lose control of your bowels and bladder. 

Kegel exercises reverse this weakening. You can do Kegel exercises anytime and anywhere. That is part of the beauty of Kegel exercises. They require no special space or equipment. 

Kegel exercises can improve the function of the muscles that support your uterus, bladder, and bowels. This reduces the risk of embarrassing things like gas, bladder, and bowel leaks. Kegel exercises can also improve your orgasms. 

Kegel Exercises importance

It is important to start doing Kegel exercises to prevent any wear and weakening of your pelvic muscles. By doing Kegel exercises you maintain the strength and integrity of these muscles before you have problems. 

The fact is, Kegel exercises can restore the health of the muscles that make up the pelvic floor, but they can also prevent the weakening of these muscles in the first place. Once the muscles are weakened, you run the risk of several types of incontinence and this is progressive. These forms of incontinence will get worse if you do not do anything about the problem. Kegel exercises are the way to prevent or reverse the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and tissues. 

Benefits of Kegel Exercises

There are numerous benefits to Kegel exercises. Some of these benefits might surprise you while others may be obvious. Some of the important benefits of Kegel exercises include: 

Recovery from childbirth

Pregnancy and childbirth will stress on your abdominal and pelvic muscles. Some of this stress can result in injury. Whether you deliver vaginally or by cesarean, the stress of childbirth will stress your pelvic muscles. 

Much of the stress and even injury of your pelvic muscles will heal on its own. Kegel exercises are one of the best ways to heal this stress and injury. Kegel exercise improves the strength of your pelvic muscles and repairs the damage that can come with pregnancy and childbirth. 

You can even prepare for pregnancy and childbirth by doing Kegel exercises before getting pregnant. By building up the strength of our abdominal and pelvic muscles, you can prevent some types of injuries. 

Overall fitness

Our modern lifestyles demand that we sit and remain sedentary for long periods. This leads to a general deconditioning of the body. We lose aerobic health and overall fitness. Kegel exercises can help with this problem. 

This sedentary lifestyle also leads to weight gain in the abdominal region which can stress the abdominal and pelvic muscles. 

Kegel exercises are an easy and convenient way of combating these tendencies. By doing Kegel exercises, even when you are sitting, you can help condition the abdominal and pelvic muscles to prevent some of the problems that may come with the loss of overall fitness. 

Back and hip support

The muscles of the pelvic floor are part of what we call the inner core. These are muscles that support your hips and your trunk. The muscles of the inner core work with lateral muscles to provide support and strength for your spine and lower back.

By conditioning the muscles of the pelvic floor with Kegel exercises you help build the core of support for your hip and spine. This is a central feature of overall muscular fitness. 

Can cure bladder leakage

The muscles of the pelvic floor support the bladder, uterus, and rectum. When these muscles become weakened, whether as a result of pregnancy or other reasons, the result can be incontinence. 

Kegel exercises can build these muscles back up to a healthy strength. This can reverse and cure bladder leakage and incontinence. 

Pelvic health during menopause

Changes in estrogen levels during menopause can lead to decreased blood flow to the pelvic floor. This will cause the muscles of the pelvic floor to become weakened. Kegel exercises can both strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and increase blood flow to these muscles to restore health. 

Treating Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP)

Pelvic Organ Prolapse, or POP, is a condition in which the pelvic organs press into the walls of the vagina. This occurs when the muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor have been stretched and weakened, usually following childbirth. 

Some women can develop POP from prolonged heavy lifting and intense exercise. Obesity is another common cause of POP. 

POP can be painful, and it can also lead to forms of incontinence. One of the best treatments for POP is Kegel exercises. The best way to build up the muscles and ligaments that hold the pelvic organs in place is by doing simple Kegel exercises. This will help re-strengthen the system that holds these organs in place. 

Kegel exercises equipment

It is possible to do Kegel exercise without any equipment, and you can do Kegel exercises almost anywhere. Some women find it difficult to do Kegel exercises correctly or with the consistency needed to get results. Some equipment can help with Kegel exercises. 

Kegel weights

These are smooth weights that can be placed in the vagina. To work with Kegel weights, you simply squeeze the pelvic floor muscles to keep the weights in place. These are based on Jade eggs which were used in ancient China. 

Biofeedback devices

These devices will let you know how effectively you are squeezing and working the muscles of the pelvic floor. Often called trainers, biofeedback devices are small probes that fit easily into the vagina and provide electronic information on the effectiveness of your Kegel exercises. 

Vaginal electrostimulation

This may sound a little daunting, but it is based on a treatment for incontinence that has been around for decades. These devices use small electrical currents to activate muscles. The device uses a small probe that is placed in the vagina which then stimulates the muscles of the pelvic floor. Some models have been approved for home use, but many of these treatments require a visit to a physician.  

External electronic stimulation devices

There are some external stimulation devices that have been recently approved by the FDA. These devices stimulate the muscles of the pelvic floor from outside the body. They can be used at home or worn inside clothing. External stimulation devices may feel less intrusive to some women and they are much easier to use. 

Caution of Kegel Exercises

 

If Kegel exercises are not like pumping iron in the gym. You should not feel pain or serious discomfort while doing Kegel exercises or after doing Kegel exercises. If you feel pain or discomfort, this is a sign you are doing them incorrectly. 

Keep in mind that while contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor, your abdomen, back, sides, and buttocks should remain loose and relaxed. Try not to tighten up your entire abdomen and lower body. It is also possible to overdo Kegel exercises. Working these muscles too hard will simply tire them out and they will not function properly.  

Kegel Exercises FAQs

What are Kegel exercises? 

Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and can reverse or stop these forms of incontinence. Kegel exercises are simple clench-and-release exercises that build up the muscles of the pelvic floor. This is the area between the hips that holds your reproductive organs in place.

What are the causes of weakened muscles in the pelvic floor? 

Many things can lead to a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. Pregnancy and childbirth are the most common causes of weakened pelvic floor muscles. Other causes include excessive straining due to constipation and chronic coughing. Obesity is also a leading cause of weakened pelvic floor muscles. 

What is the importance of Kegel exercises? 

Kegel exercises can restore the health of the muscles that make up the pelvic floor, but they can also prevent the weakening of these muscles in the first place. Once the muscles are weakened, you run the risk of several types of incontinence and this is progressive. These forms of incontinence will get worse if you do not do anything about the problem. Kegel exercises are the way to prevent or reverse the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and tissues.

What are the benefits of Kegel exercises? 

Kegel exercises can restore the health of your abdominal and pelvic muscles after pregnancy and childbirth. They can cure bladder leakage and some forms of incontinence. Kegel exercises can maintain pelvic health during menopause. And Kegel exercises can help you maintain back, hip, and abdominal strength. 

Is there equipment that can help with Kegel exercises? 

There are several devices available to help with Kegel exercises. These include Kegel weights, biofeedback devices, and electronic stimulation devices. 

Conclusion

It is no surprise that pregnancy and childbirth take a toll on your body. For some women, the physical effects of pregnancy and childbirth are quite minimal. For others, there can be long-lasting issues that come from having a baby. One way to treat some of the physical effects of pregnancy and childbirth is with Kegel exercises. 

Kegel exercises can reverse the stress on pelvic muscles that often comes with carrying and delivering and baby. When the pelvic muscles are stressed and weakened, a variety of problems can come about including incontinence. The way to rebuild the strength of your pelvic muscles is with Kegel exercise. 

Part of the beauty of Kegel exercises is they require no equipment or special space to do them. You can do Kegel exercises anywhere and anytime. Once you learn the technique to properly do Kegel exercises, you can do them at work, while standing in line at a store, or even in your car. 

If you are having difficulty with doing Kegel exercises, there are some pieces of equipment that you can get to help you along. Something as simple as Kegel weights can make your Kegel exercises more effective.