How Do Kegel Exercises Work?

As private and potentially embarrassing a topic this may be, I'll just go ahead and admit it: I've been doing lots of Kegel exercises lately. First defined in 1948 by a gynecologist named Arnold Kegel, Kegel exercises consist of repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles that form your pelvic floor, sometimes with the use of special weights and devices to increase resistances. How Kegels Work Like I alluded to, the basic purpose of Kegel exercises is to increase the muscle tone, the strength and endurance of your pelvic floor muscles, specifically by strengthening the muscles of your pelvic floor called the "pubococcygeus" muscles. The most popular prescribed use of Kegel exercises is to help pregnant women prepare their pelvic floor for the rigors of pregnancy and childbirth, but Kegels can also be used for vaginal and uterine prolapse, treating prostate pain in men, treating urinary incontinence in men and women, and helping with premature ejaculation and sexual performance. Katy also thinks that regular use of Kegel exercises could potentially make your pelvic floor muscles too tense, at least relative to the tenseness or strength in your butt muscles.