Kegel exercises are repetitive movements of contracting and relaxing the muscles found in your pelvic floor for strength and endurance. Since they are easy and do not require extensive procedures and treatments to perform, performing Kegel exercises is a cost-efficient and safe way to nurture your vaginal and urinary health. Generally, Kegel exercises help strengthen bladder control (no more peeing in your pants!), increase pleasure during sexual intercourse, and avoid tearing of the birth canal during labor and delivery. You can easily perform Kegel exercises anytime at home, may it be when you’re lying down or standing up. Talk about convenience!
Health Benefits of Kegel Exercises
Your pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) and its surrounding structures provide strength and control to your pelvic organs.3 Ensuring they remain strong and functional is important since they are responsible to support the organs within your pelvis, hold and release your poo and urine, maintain and intensify sexual pleasure, and modulate the connection between your abdomen and spinal cord.
Pregnancy
The beneficial effects of Kegel exercises are most emphasized during the different stages of pregnancy. While still pregnant, Kegel exercises may prevent frequent urination typically experienced as the fetus grows in size since there is increased control of the pelvic muscles. Kegel exercises are also beneficial during labor because it makes the perineal muscle flexible, allowing for optimal expansion and preventing risks of tearing during childbirth. This will help your body recover easily from the stress of childbirth. Most importantly, performing exercises that help strengthen your pelvic muscles are vital after giving birth to minimize pain and discomfort, promote perineal healing, regain any lost control over urine and feces, and help restore sexual comfort and pleasure.
Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a worldwide health problem causing discomfort and decrease in confidence. Involuntary urination, although not an alarming condition, significantly affects the quality of life and everyday routine of women.2 Despite the wide array of allopathic treatments to manage urinary incontinence, pelvic floor exercises remain the best non-invasive solution.1 It is recommended that you perform Kegel exercises on a regular basis to maintain the strength and flexibility of your pelvic floor.1
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a condition where pelvic muscles become weak or loose, resulting in pelvic organs lowering to the vaginal canal.1 Since your pelvic floor muscles are vital for many functions that maintain the optimal health of your body, performing Kegel exercises when you have pelvic organ prolapse not only strengthens your pelvic floor muscles, but also promotes relief from pain and discomfort you may be experiencing.
How To Perform Kegel Exercises
Since everybody is different, pelvic floor exercises should be personalized in order to cater to the unique needs of every woman. The number of contractions you will need to perform, length of time needed for every contraction, and set intervals vary from one woman to another. Proper Kegel exercises may be done in different ways, but fundamental rules include identifying the correct muscles, contracting them in a proper manner, and repeating the cycle for a given amount of time.1
Safety and Considerations
After childbirth, Kegel exercises may be immediately performed by mothers to help with healing and improve abdominal tone, but only with the guidance and approval of her health provider. When using devices to help with your Kegel exercises, you must make sure that it is body-safe, in best quality, and manufactured in countries with strict regulations in producing medical-grade silicone. Check out the Kegel exerciser made by Intimina! The device vibrates to tell you when to contract and relax your pelvic muscles. When buying all of your intimate care products, it is vital to complete your very own safety and preference checklist, such as buying only from reputable manufacturers you trust.
Are Kegel eggs safe for use?
Yoni or Kegel eggs are devices placed in the vagina to guide you in properly performing Kegel exercises. However, you should be extra cautious when using these products because they may be made up of materials that are difficult to clean, encouraging build-up of harmful substances that can put your health at great risk. Ensuring that the Kegel eggs you are using are body-safe and made from natural stones without chemicals or spaces that can harbor bacteria is an essential step to bear in mind before actively using such products.
Remember, not all crystals are body-safe! Some contain dangerous heavy metals like mercury or lead. Others dissolve when wet; this could leave residue inside you or create sharp or uneven edges that damage the delicate vaginal tissue and increase the risk of infection. Still more have chemical coatings, dyes, or other processing treatments that could endanger your health. Most importantly, your Kegel exercise routine should be thoroughly discussed with your licensed naturopathic physician, or other pelvic floor therapy-trained licensed healthcare provider, to guide you in discovering the most efficient and effective techniques for your optimal health. Improving Your Pelvic Health
Take note: Consulting with your health care provider before using these products is imperative when you are pregnant or breastfeeding to prevent risks or harm to your baby. As your body undergoes major changes during pregnancy, we understand your excitement to take extra steps to care for yourself and your little one. However, it is vital to keep in mind that not all products and services are safe to use during pregnancy. Taking extra precaution helps ensure that the benefits of each product outweighs the risks that come with its use, keeping you and your baby healthy and safe.
The first step to improving your pelvic health is through making conscious decisions for your health by developing a personalized health plan with your health care providers. Kegel exercises have a wide array of potential benefits for your optimal well-being, but these can only be fully experienced when your routines are done correctly. Discover the naturopathic approach for your health concerns today! AuthorKate Nemenzo studied in nursing school as an academic scholar. Her passion for holistic health has led her to become a registered nurse who promotes optimal care throughout her patient’s therapeutic journey. When not writing, she spends her time crocheting, watching Korean dramas, and playing the guitar!
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Millions of women and other people who menstruate experience regular and terrible effects on their physical, social, and mental well-being during period days. Menstrual disorders are a leading cause of discomfort in women of reproductive age, with 75% of biological females around the world experiencing menstrual complications.1 Symptoms such as pain, anxiety, digestive changes, depression, and fatigue are commonly experienced and affect their daily activities. Feminine hygiene products like douches, wipes, sprays, washes, and powders make up a $2 billion industry in the country, with marketing strategies promoting the idea that women’s bodies are unclean and in need of these products to remain healthy. A better understanding of the nitty-gritty of menstrual health and how poor menstrual health affects women’s quality of life is essential in ending this social taboo.
What is Menstruation?
Menstruation is a natural process that individuals assigned female at birth experience on a regular basis due to the body’s cyclic changes to prepare itself for possible pregnancy. As progesterone levels rise during the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle, the endometrial layer of your uterus thickens, develops its own blood supply, and accumulates energy sources to accommodate a potential embryo. When hormone levels decrease because no pregnancy occurs, the endometrial layer, which previously changed throughout the menstrual cycle, cannot be maintained anymore and sloughs off, producing menses. Menstrual flow usually lasts for 3-5 days, but healthy females can have it for a day or as long as 8 days.1 On average, blood loss is about 30 mL but this can range from light spotting to about 80 mL.1 More than 80 mL of blood loss is considered abnormal. Factors influencing blood flow may include medications, thickness of the uterine lining, and problems with coagulation (blood clotting).
The Importance of Menstrual Hygiene
Since menstrual bleeding is a natural phenomenon that the body undergoes regularly, hygiene practices that maintain the cleanliness of your intimate area are essential to prevent urinary tract infections, yeast infections, low self-esteem, and poor quality of life. Stains, smell, and leakage of menstrual blood on clothes may also lead to feelings of fear and shame, causing negative effects on concentration and social interactions.
Essential Hygiene Practices During Your Period
Did you know? The vagina, which is part of the internal female genitalia, naturally cleans itself. Vaginal discharge contains good bacteria and secretions that help protect you against infections. What needs cleansing, on the other hand, is the vulva which forms the outer female genitalia since it is exposed to your clothes and perineal area. Optimal practices to care for your intimate area include:
Is vaginal douching safe?
Douching has been a common practice for centuries where the vagina is cleansed to remove menstrual blood, maintain freshness, minimize itching, avoid pregnancy, or tighten the vagina.2 Presently, there has been an increase in vaginal douching due to the heavy advertisement of douching products sold in pharmacies and grocery stores, which make these readily available for when a feminine hygiene product is desperately needed, especially on the go. This phenomenon is alarming because douching weakens the vagina’s natural defenses due to its effects on vaginal pH levels and vaginal flora, making you more susceptible to infections. Ironically, douching practices end up killing the healthy bacteria that should protect your vagina, while allowing the unhealthy bacteria to keep growing. Instead of douching, you can maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome and reduce your risks of developing vaginal infections by adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Having safe and protected sex, avoiding hygiene products that may cause irritation, and wearing breathable undergarments help keep your vaginal health in check!
Menstrual Products and Their Proper Use
Menstrual pads, tampons, pantyliners, menstrual underwear, or cups, have been staple products to use during your period. About four disposable menstrual products are used per day on average, amounting to more than 10,000 menstrual products in a lifetime! Such an extensive amount can cause harm to the environment and expose you to chemicals used while making these products. Testing has found harmful chemicals in menstrual products, such as phthalates, volatile organic compounds, and metals that can increase cancer risk. Additionally, excess menstrual blood that has not been absorbed by other layers of the pad provides access for chemicals from the pad to come in contact with the vulva, resulting in irritation.3 On the other hand, using tampons that can absorb more than the amount of your menstrual flow can cause tiny cuts in the vagina and enhance the absorption of chemicals found in the product.3 How long a menstrual pad is worn or a tampon is left in the vagina also affects chemical absorption and exposure to pathogens, with extended use making you more at risk for menstrual toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal infection.3
Sustainable Menstrual Practices
Improving Your Menstrual Health: Quick Tips
Taking care of your menstrual health is an integral part of maintaining optimal well-being. Although many medications are available to manage menstrual symptoms, these often cause side effects like nausea, diarrhea, stomachache, and long-term health risks causing more harm than good. Aside from essential hygiene practices you should follow during your period, taking care of yourself from within is essential. Here are some quick tips to make your next cycle more comfortable:
Your naturopathic medicine advisors at Natural Path to Wellness are committed to assisting you in understanding the importance of taking care of your menstrual health and following a personalized approach to maintain optimal well-being. Contact us to learn more about the natural path to improving and maintaining your menstrual health. AuthorKate Nemenzo studied in nursing school as an academic scholar. Her passion for holistic health has led her to become a registered nurse who promotes optimal care throughout her patient’s therapeutic journey. When not writing, she spends her time crocheting, watching Korean dramas, and playing the guitar!
REFERENCES:
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THE BLOG AT NATURAL PATH TO WELLNESSAuthorSNatural Path to Wellness values community education and welcomes contributions from writers with a background in Naturopathic Medicine, natural health and wellness, herbalism, homeopathy, Nature Cure, and more. Disclosures & Policies: This and other blog posts may contain affiliate links. Please view our disclosures page for more information.
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