Kegel Exercises
The pelvic floor muscles (pubococcygeus muscle) surround the vagina. These muscles are usually in good tone, but can get loose with childbirth, sitting a lot, and age. Increasing the elasticity of this group of muscles can be obtained by doing Kegel exercises regularly (that is, every day).
Locating the Pelvic Floor
The simplest way to locate the muscles of the perlvic floor is to stop passing urine in midstream by lifting and squeezing the muscles to stop the flow. Once you've identified the muscle, go on to empty the bladder completely. If you are unable to stop voiding midstream, you can identify your pelvic floor by touching the muscle. You should place the top of the index and middle fingers on the skin just behind your vagina. When the muscle contracts correctly, it will lift up away from the fingersYou can also identify your pelvic floor by inserting the tips of your index and middle fingers into your vagina. A correct muscle action will give a gripping and lifting feeling around your fingers. Alternatively, you can try gripping your partner with the pelvic floor muscles during intercourse.
The exercises
Once the correct muscles have been identified, work out an exercise programme thatpushes the muscle to its fatigue point. A good sign that your pelvic floor is becoming fatigued is when you start to hold your breath or use other muscle groups such as your inner thighs, buttocks, or abdominal muscles.Slow Kegel
Tighten the pelvic floor muscles and hold it for as long as you can, then relax. Make note of how many seconds you can hold for. Repeat the contraction with a rest each time until the muscle becomes fatigued. Make note of how many times you have done this exercise.Quick Kegel
Tighten and relax the pelvic floor muscles as rapidly as you can, five times, then relax and repeat.Your own exercise programme could start, for example with:
- slow kegels, each held for 3 seconds
- 10 fast kegels
As your muscle improves in both strength and endurance, gradually increase the number of contractions. To strengthen the pelvic floor, these exercise sessions need to be repeated regularly, aiming for eight sessions each day. You can do these exercises any time during daily activities which don't require a lot of moving around—driving your car, watching tv, doing the dishes... When you start, you'll probably notice the muscles not wanting to stay contracted during the exercises, or that you can't do the fast kegel very fast or evenly. Keep at it. In a week or two, you'll probably notice taht you can control it quite well.
These exercises should be done everyday during your pregnancy, then as soon as possible postpartum, and everyday of your life thereafter!
Courtesy Village Health Clinic, Surrey BC
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