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Heather Jeffcoat Featured at Bustle
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exercise for difficulty with orgasms

Difficulty With Orgasms?

Believe it or not, you can exercise your way to a better sex life.

There’s no equipment required, and you can do it pretty much anywhere — yes, even in the middle of a boring Zoom meeting. You’ve likely heard that pelvic floor muscle exercises, more commonly known as kegels, are something women do to keep things tight down there, especially after giving birth. But there’s so much more to it than that. Whether you’re having difficulty with orgasms or your libido is lower than you’d ideally like it to be, the sexual benefits of kegel exercises are worth giving this simple workout a try.

So what are kegels, exactly? According to Heather Jeffcoat, a doctor of physical therapy who specializes in female sexual function, kegels are an isolated contraction of your pelvic floor muscles. This muscle group forms a hammock at the base of your pelvic organs and does a number of vital things — supports posture, prevents urine leakage, and, delightfully, assists in “optimizing” your orgasms.

While anyone can do them, not everyone should. As Jeffcoat says,

Kegel exercises are unfortunately over-prescribed as a miracle solution for anything in the pelvic floor: poor orgasms, urinary incontinence, and even painful intercourse.”

But if you have any sort of pelvic floor dysfunction, like vaginismus or prolapse, kegels can sometimes make things worse.

How To Do Kegel Exercises

Doing kegel exercises is surprisingly easy, but the movements may take some time to get used to. According to Jeffcoat, nearly half of women do it incorrectly, which won’t lead to desired results and may make pelvic functioning worse.

In her practice, Jeffcoat typically starts by telling patients to gently “close the openings.” For women, this means closing the anus, vagina, and urethra. Then, pretend that you’re picking up a blueberry with your vagina.

Don’t squeeze it too hard as we don’t want to squish it,”

she says.

There shouldn’t be any squeezing of the inner thighs or gluteal muscles, and the lower abs should also draw slightly inward. If you’re pressing them out, you are not performing a proper kegel exercise.”

There is hope for anyone having difficulty with orgasms. Click here to continue to the full article and find out more.

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What Our Patients Have to Say

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Testimonial by J.B.

My husband and I were having problems with painful intercourse. My therapist recommended that I go and get a pelvic floor evaluation from a physical therapist. Having never been treated by a physical therapist, I wondered how this really was going to help me. My husband who is a physician was very supportive and agreed that a PT evaluation would be a great idea. So i made the appointment and was blown away by what I learned. I had no idea that pelvic floor muscles could get tight and have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. I'm a massage therapist and very familiar with tight muscles, and this new thought really amazed me. Heather's program to help relax and strengthen these muscles made such a difference. I can say that I am 100% pain free during intercourse now. Yippee! Going to the PT appointments and doing the at-home exercises was definitely a discipline, but it's 100% worth it! The rewards are amazing.

-- J.B.

Testimonial by Lauren B.

Femina PT (née Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy) has been such an answer to prayer, i'm so glad I found them! I've been struggling with vaginismus my whole life, but didn't have a name for it until about 6 or 7 months ago. Even once I did have a name for it though, I didn't know where to begin in getting help. My OB/GYN had me get a set of dilators, but I couldn't even insert the smallest one by myself. Most times I tried I just ended up frustrated and in tears. I felt really alone, like I was broken and didn't have the energy to keep trying. When I got engaged a few months ago though, I realized I needed to get answers so i wasn't dreading my honeymoon.

Read more: Testimonial by Lauren B.

Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

I can’t speak highly enough of the theapists at Femina Physical Therapy and how much they have helped me grow, discover, and love my body. I had had painful sex for my entire life, and didn’t know that there was anything that could be done about it. It was at the point where my husband and I were not having sex for MONTHs, because it was just too frustrating, and I hated feeling like I was the ONLY woman out there who had this problem, especially at my age. I finally brought it up to my doctor because I was turning 40 and my husband and I were barely having enough sex to conceive. And she brought up pelvic floor, PT. I didn’t even know this was a “thing”.

Read more: Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

Testimonial by M.N., age 28

A personal journey and testimonial from one of my patients:

I was diagnosed with vaginismus 4 years ago. I never heard of such medical condition until after I got married. At first my husband and I didn't know what to do, we didn't know what the issues were or how to overcome it. Being born and raised in Armenia and being Christian I wasn't that open about talking to sex with others and so it wasn't easy to seek help. But eventually I went to an Ob-Gyn and luckily she knew about the medical condition (not many doctors know). She referred me to a physical therapist and I couldn't believe it and thought it's something I can handle myself. I ordered a kit from vaginismus.com and started practicing with dilators. There was some small progress but wasn't much helpful.

Read more: Testimonial by M.N., age 28

Testimonial by S.H., age 24

I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me for the past 19 months. I literally could not have reached my goals without you and your practice. You gave me the courage to keep moving forth with my treatment no matter how afraid and anxious I was. You were always there to answer questions and made this whole process so much easier than I expected it to be.

It's because of you that my marriage is on the right track, that I can get pregnant and that this part of my life is finally over. I really feel that Fusion Wellness is a team of people you can call family and are there to root for you and cheer you on until you reach your goals. There is nothing better than knowing I accomplished this with you guys by my side and as calmly and patiently as I needed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always being there and helping me reach my goals.

S.H., age 24

Testimonial by R.H.

No one could tell me why I was having pain during sex--sharp pain, not just uncomfortable, pain. I was referred to Heather Jeffcoat after researching several different options. I had seen a specialist who told me physical therapy would not help and my only option was surgery. I really didn't want to go that route, so when we got a referral, I decided to try it--it can't hurt, I thought. I am so glad I did. She diagnosed the problem right away, which was a relief in itself.

To know why I was having pain eased my mind immensely. And to hear that she could fix it without surgery was another relief. She said she could fix the problem in 6 weeks. I think it was actually 4 for me. She was very methodical, and treated me as an intelligent human being capable of participating in my own recovery. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. She did not try to prolong my session numbers, she worked hard to accommodate my schedule (and the fact that I had to bring a baby to sessions), and she was completely honest the entire time. It is so hard to find someone with these characteristics, much less a professional who is so good at what she does. She has my highest respect.

-- R.H.

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