The Benefits of Kegel Exercises

By Barbara C. Bourassa

Gynecologists, physical therapists, and bladder experts alike often recommend Kegels for helping with bladder-leakage problems. These exercises strengthen the pelvic-floor muscles, which help support the bladder and keep the urethra closed, in turn preventing bladder leakage. But there's another benefit to doing Kegels that isn't talked about as often among bladder health experts: Strengthening and toning your pelvic floor muscles on a regular basis may also improve your sex life.

The first person to recognize this side benefit was Arnold Kegel himself, the Californian gynecologist for which Kegels are named. Kegel developed the exercises in the 1940s to help women with postpartum incontinence and, in doing so, found that incidence of painful sex decreased and orgasm also improved with Kegels. In fact, sex therapists such as Annette Owens, M.D., Ph.D., and Stephanie Buehler, Psy.D., often use Kegels in their practice to relieve a variety of issues.

"Many of my patients, mainly women, have pain with intercourse. I always recommend Kegels," says Owens, whose private practice is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. "If a women is trying to learn how to have an orgasm, or has infrequent orgasm, I might encourage her to work with her pelvic-floor muscles," says Buehler, a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist in Irvine, California.

Kegels can improve both sex and bladder control because of how the female anatomy is designed. The main muscle in this region, the puboccoccygeal (PC) muscle, runs from the pubic bone in the front to the coccyx, or tailbone, in the back. "This is the part of the anatomy that helps maintain bladder function and keep the vagina toned," says Buehler. "A lot of women when they orgasm have contractions in the uterus, vagina, and labia that are pleasurable. Simply put, the stronger the [pelvic floor] muscle, the stronger the contractions. "If a woman has strong contractions and better orgasms, then she might be more interested in sex, so Kegels can help with sex drive, too," says Buehler.

Both Buehler and Owens refer patients to a physical therapist to learn proper Kegel technique. Pat Salin Huston, a physical therapist with more than 20 years' experience in pelvic health, explains: "Because the entrance to the vagina is located within the pelvic floor muscles, anything that tones these muscles will influence sexual activity," she says. Because the pelvic-floor muscles are, in fact, muscles, "everyone has a different ability to work with these muscles," she continues. "Many women can find and isolate these muscles easily, while others need a personal trainer. It's like flossing your teeth, however; these muscles don't just take care of themselves."

Like any muscles that need strengthening or toning, Salin Huston believes the pelvic floor muscles benefit from several different types of Kegel exercises. She recommends several types of pelvic-floor exercises for improving bladder function and enhancing sexual health:

Quick Flicks: A quick, two-second hold followed by a quick, two-second release. Start with 10 and work up from there.

10-Second Reps: Try 10 repetitions of a 10-second lift (with an exhale), followed by a 10-second release (with a long, slow inhale). "It's okay for the abs to kick in here," she notes.

Target Practice: Think of an elevator—then lift the muscles up and pause as if you're at the first floor, followed by another lift to the second floor, and so on. Follow this by releasing—"going down three or four floors without stopping," she says. The goal: "Pull up a teeny amount and hold, then repeat until you can get to the 20^th floor," she says.

Mixed-Up Elevator: "Go up to the second floor, up to the sixth floor, down to the fourth floor, up to the eighth floor, and so on," she says.

Move to the Music: If you're riding in your car, and you hear a fun song or a Christmas carol, try moving your pelvic-floor muscles up and down to the music. "You need all the action," she notes. "That includes up, down, and the action in the middle. Don't forget the middle!"