4 Benefits of Kegel Exercises for Women
Lots of people associate Kegel exercises with pregnant women, but they aren’t just for women who are expecting. They’re also helpful in treating urinary incontinence problems, both in men and women.
They were created in 1948 when Dr. Arnold Henry Kegel published a scientific article exposing the contractions of the pubococcygeus muscle. These contractions made it possible to strengthen this area in people who performed the exercises. Over time, these exercises took on his name, and they’re highly recommended today.
Despite having benefits for men and women, here we’ll just focus on their advantages for women. Don’t miss out!
Kegel exercises in women
The main benefits of regularly doing these exercises focus on pregnancy. However, you can also take advantage of their positive effects without being pregnant.
Performing these types of exercises on a regular basis helps to strengthen the pelvic floor area. This is made up of different muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and its main function is to support.
The pelvic floor is important for human beings in general. Despite this, lots of people neglect it, and it doesn’t become stronger. Fortunately, Kegel exercises for women can fulfill this muscle-strengthening role. If you do them correctly, you can provide comfort to the bladder, part of the intestines, uterus, and vagina.
Benefits of Kegel exercises for women
As mentioned above, there are lots of benefits during and after pregnancy. For example, they can prevent pathologies related to pregnancy, such as uterine prolapse, which stands out. However, there are other benefits that you can enjoy.
Changes during menopause
Menopause marks the beginning of sexual hormone loss in women. At this stage, estrogen production slows down, and so do various functions that depend on it.
In addition, menopause generally happens between 45 and 50 years of age. Here, muscle weakness can take a toll on the body.
You may be wondering what this has to do with the pelvic floor. Being made up of different muscles, changes during menopause can weaken this area more.
However, with Kegel exercises, it’s possible to keep it worked and strengthened, in order to prevent it from becoming weaker. Remember, these exercises can help a lot, but they won’t prevent muscle wasting altogether.
Post-surgery rehabilitation
There are different surgical interventions that can be done in the perineum region, a complex area due to its rehabilitation process. Kegel exercises are also helpful in these situations.
To perform these exercises for this purpose, you should ask a surgeon if you should be doing Kegel exercises. Once you have the green light, get going! However, it’s best if you’re being supervised by a health or physical activity professional.
Sexual pleasure
Strengthening the muscles around the vagina can improve nerve stimulation, and therefore sexual pleasure. This is a pretty subjective point, but it shouldn’t be considered taboo.
Some sexology experts recommend using sex toys to do these exercises. We recommend that you visit a professional in this area to help you with this process.
Incontinence prevention
Urinary and fecal incontinence are problems that you should talk about. Above all, you’ll want to treat them in a timely manner before they become more complex. Luckily, Kegel exercises for women can help you treat these conditions.
According to a study from the Technical University of Ambato (Ecuador) in 2015, people over 65 were able to treat urinary incontinence in a timely manner through these exercises.
By strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, it becomes easier to control the urge to urinate or defecate. However, it’s important to perform them at all times, not just when you’re having an episode of incontinence. If it’s an uncontrollable problem, you’ll need to talk to your doctor.
Learn to do Kegel exercises
There are a good number of books, articles, or guides to learn how to do Kegel exercises, but it’s best to have the guidance and supervision of a professional, as we mentioned earlier. That way, you can learn to do them right so you can start practicing them regularly.
If you have any questions, it’s best to ask your doctor. Both health professionals and certain physical activity experts can patiently guide you until you master your performance.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Park, S. H., Kang, C. B., Jang, S. Y., & Kim, B. Y. (2013). Effect of kegel exercise to prevent urinary and fecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women: Systematic review. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2013.43.3.420
- Hooley, J. S. (1993). Kegel exercises. In Journal of the Florida Medical Association.
- Nazarpour, S., Simbar, M., Ramezani Tehrani, F., & Alavi Majd, H. (2017). Effects of Sex Education and Kegel Exercises on the Sexual Function of Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Sexual Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.05.006
