Unlocking Your Pelvic Power: Should You Consider a Pelvic Floor Trainer?

Reasons Why You May Consider a Pelvic Floor Trainer

Key Takeaways:

- The pelvic floor plays a pivotal role in various bodily functions, from bladder and bowel control to sexual well-being.
- Kegel exercises offer a means to strengthen these hidden muscles.
- Innovative technology has introduced pelvic floor trainers that monitor and enhance your pelvic health journey.

The pelvic floor is a powerhouse of wellness. Its duties span from maintaining control over your bladder and bowels to nurturing your intimate well-being. Yet, despite its contributions, this area often remains an uncharted territory for many. Enter pelvic floor trainers, the game-changing tools that bring visibility to the pelvic muscles and provide invaluable feedback, ensuring pelvic floor health.

The Significance of Pelvic Floor Health

Recent research by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) reveals a startling fact: around 60 percent of women experience symptoms of poor pelvic health, encompassing issues like urinary incontinence and a frequent urge to urinate. The silver lining is that exercises hold the potential to bolster your pelvic floor and stave off these concerns. The sobering truth, however, is that most women don't engage in these exercises. In fact, more than half of women admit to either avoiding or never attempting pelvic floor exercises, with a significant 23 percent confessing they have no idea how to even get started, as per the same RCOG study. This is where pelvic floor trainers come into play. These devices offer guidance and a tangible way to connect with your pelvic floor.

I mentioned in the interview that the pelvic floor is the foundation of your physical and mental health.

"If we lose these functions, it can affect your ability to exercise and maintain social and intimate relationships, with outcomes ranging from bladder leakage to sexual dysfunction."

Unveiling Pelvic Floor Trainers

Kegel exercises may sound simple—contract and release your pelvic floor muscles repeatedly to strengthen them. However, in practice, it can be quite the conundrum. Pelvic floor trainers step in to ensure that you not only do these exercises but do them correctly.

Pelvic floor trainers come in various forms:

1. Smart Pelvic Floor Trainers: Armed with biofeedback technology, these smart companions turn your workout into an interactive experience, offering real-time guidance.
2. Weighted Pelvic Floor Trainers: These are comparable to workout partners, often taking the form of weighted balls.
3. External Pelvic Floor Trainers: Combining targeted strengthening exercises, these trainers deliver a comprehensive approach to pelvic floor well-being

The Search for Effective Pelvic Health

One standout example is the Elvie pelvic floor trainer which provides force and motion sensors that delve into the intricacies of pelvic floor contractions within your body. It syncs with a user-friendly app, serving as your virtual coach, offering feedback on the correctness of your exercises and the strength of your contractions.

The app transcends mere utility; it transforms Kegel exercises into an engaging game, measuring your progress and fueling your motivation.

Tania Boler, the founder of Elvie, sought to bridge the gap between hospital-exclusive technology and everyday life after her OB-GYN recommended pelvic floor exercises and left her in the dark. She confesses, "I struggled to know if I was doing them right and if they were making a difference. As I researched the area, I realized that there hasn't been much innovation at all. The one thing shown to work is giving women real-time biofeedback, but this technology existed almost exclusively in hospitals."

Who stands to benefit from pelvic floor trainers? Tania Boler states, "Every woman seeking to enhance and safeguard bladder control, sexual sensation, reduce back pain, or prepare for pregnancy and postpartum recovery can reap the rewards of effective Kegel workouts. Kegels should indeed form a part of every woman's daily regimen. While there are numerous methods to fortify a weakened pelvic floor, prevention is the wisest path."

Be forewarned, however: the journey to pelvic floor strength is not a sprint but a marathon, demanding time and patience. Pregnant women should seek the advice of their OB-GYN or midwife before starting on a training regimen, and it's advised to wait at least six weeks postpartum before starting.

Moreover, not all pelvic floor conditions benefit from uptraining, focusing on contractions. In specific cases, down-training, or relaxation, holds the key to relief. Conditions such as vaginismus, vestibulodynia, painful intercourse, painful bladder syndrome, urinary urgency, and frequent pelvic pain often necessitate this nuanced approach.

As a final word, always seek the guidance of a healthcare professional when in doubt.

The Bottom Line: A Vital Conversation

The dialogue about pelvic floor health may seem uncomfortable, but it's a conversation that cannot be delayed. Above all, be discerning about solutions that sound too good to be true. In the search for a healthier pelvic floor, transparency and professional guidance are your trusted allies.

Begin this empowering journey by seeking the advice of your healthcare provider, and let it be a commitment to your well-being.