Vaginal tightening

Vaginal tightening refers to the tightening of the pelvic 2 Consequences

muscles to achieve or maintain the right degree of elasticity of the pelvic oor muscles.
Pelvic oor dysfunctions may include any of a group
These muscles must be able to contract to maintain con- of clinical conditions that includes urinary incontinence,
tinence, and to relax allowing for urination and bowel fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sensory and
movements, and in women, for sexual intercourse as well emptying abnormalities of the lower urinary tract, defecaas for giving birth. They also support and protect the or- tory dysfunction, sexual dysfunction and several chronic
gans of the abdomen and hold the bladder in its proper pain syndromes, including vulvodynia. The three most
common and denable conditions encountered clinically
place.
are urinary incontinence, anal incontinence and pelvic
The pelvic muscles can become stretched or weakened
female genital prolapse.
due to ageing and more specically due to pregnancy.
This often happens after a dicult childbirth which over- For example when the pelvic muscles have too much
stretches or tears the pelvic muscles and can also be the tension (hypertonic) they will often cause pelvic pain,
result of giving birth to several babies within a very short or urgency and frequency of the bladder and bowels.
time span. Their under use can also cause pelvic oor When they are low-tone (hypotonic) they will contribute
weakness. Like for any other muscle, pelvic muscles need to stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. You can
exercise to work well. In the same vein, the change in hor- also have a combination of muscles that are too tense and
mones related to menopause could weakened these mus- too relaxed.
cles, as well as damage caused through long term strain- Symptoms of hypertonic pelvic muscles:
ing, chronic constipation or cough or overweight.
Urinary frequency, urgency, hesitancy, stopping and
starting of the urine stream, painful urination, or incomplete emptying

Vaginal tightening can be achieved in dierent ways, all

eective in their own way and can be complementary.

Vaginismus
Constipation, straining, pain during or after bowel
movements

Causes

Unexplained pain in your low back, pelvic region,

hips, genital area, or rectum
Pain during or after intercourse, orgasm, or sexual
stimulation

The pelvic oor muscles, region of the body called the

Perineum, is a group of muscles and ligaments; Its main
muscle is called the Pubococcygeus muscle or PC muscle.

Uncoordinated muscle contractions causing the

pelvic oor muscles to spasm

It is a hammock-like muscle, found in both sexes, that

stretches from the pubic bone to the coccyx (tail bone)
forming the oor of the pelvic cavity and supporting the Symptoms of hypotonic pelvic muscles:
pelvic organs.
Stress incontinence
This set of muscles, also known as the muscles of the perineum, forms the oor of the pelvic cavity and supports
the pelvic organs such as the bladder, uterus and colon
and intestine.

Urge incontinence
Pelvic organ prolapse

These muscles act like a rubber band, they need to be

tense but neither too tight to avoid pelvic oor muscle
disorder nor too loose, because in both cases they will
lose the right degree of elasticity and therefore their main
function and could potentially create a pelvic oor dysfunction.

3 Treatments
Pelvic oor physiotherapy: Continence and womens
health or pelvic oor physiotherapists hold post
1

3 TREATMENTS
graduate qualications specialising in pelvic oor
muscle training. They can assess your pelvic oor
function and tailor an exercise program to meet
your specic needs. They can also prescribe other
treatment options such lifestyle modication and
biofeedback.
Vaginoplasty: Vaginoplasty is a reconstructive plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure for the vaginal
canal and its mucous membrane, and of vulvovaginal structures that might be absent or damaged because of congenital disease (e.g. vaginal hypoplasia) or because of an acquired cause (e.g. childbirth
physical trauma, cancer).

builder, and organic fruits and vegetables is recommended to keep vaginal muscles healthy and strong.
Medicinal plants: Plants have been used for centuries for their benecial properties specic to human health or animal. Some of these plants have
very strong astringent properties that have the ability
to tighten the pelvic oor muscles. The best-known
and most used natural herbal ingredients for this
purpose are the Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila).
They are used in many vaginal tightening products,
like creams, gels, pills, tablets, capsules, essential
oils, sticks, wands, soaps, washes, suppositories and
many other forms.

Pelvic toning devices: A pelvic toning device, also

Vaginal rejuvenation: A vaginal rejuvenation is
referred to as a Kegel exerciser, pelvic oor toner,
a non-reconstructive vaginoplasty that restores the
pelvic oor muscle toner or pelvic toner, pelvic oor
muscle tone and desired aesthetic of the vagina, by
stimulator, pelvic exercisers, pelvic device, pelvic
removing external tissues and tightening the supoor exerciser, is a medical or pseudo-medical deportive structures of the vulvovaginal complex, in
vice designed to help women exercise their pelvic
an eort either to reduce or to reverse the eects
oor muscles and improve the muscle tone of the
of aging and parturition (childbearing). The advanpubococcygeus or vaginal muscle.
tages may be increased comfort and an improved
self-image (mental health); the potential disadvantages are decreased clitoral and genital sensation, Pelvic toning devices fall into a number of dierent types:
and complications, such as infection, tissue adhesions, and scarring.
1. Electrical muscle stimulation: Electrostimulation or
electrical muscle stimulation triggers muscle con Kegel exercise: Pelvic oor exercise, or Kegel extractions using electric impulses, through an internal
ercise, consists of repeatedly contracting and relaxvaginal probe, to train the perineal muscles with no
ing the muscles that form part of the pelvic oor,
pain and no special eorts, while doing it by yournow sometimes colloquially referred to as the Kegel
self at home and adapting the intensity of the electric
muscles.
impulses at will.
Yoga, Pilates: Other forms of exercise also help
to tighten the pelvic muscles, like yoga and pilates,
as these all incorporate working on the pelvic oor
muscle and strengthening your core muscles which
together will help keep your pelvic oor muscles
tighter.
Sexual intercourse: In fact, having regular sexual intercourse increases the muscle tone of the vagina.
Having sex is a form of exercise and is an excellent
training exercise for the pelvic oor muscles.
Orgasm: An orgasm is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual tension during the sexual response
cycle, resulting in rhythmic muscular contractions in
the pelvic region that will tone your pelvic muscles.
As pelvic oor muscles become stronger, so will the
orgasms.

1. Biofeedback devices are designed to help women exercise their pelvic oor muscles and improve their
vaginal muscle tone. This method involves placing
a sensor, also known as an electrode or probe into
the vagina. The vaginal probe, connected to a visual
and/or sound system, lets you see and/or hear the
contraction. According to the colour of the light or
the intensity of the sound, you will know whether the
muscular contraction is done properly or not. The
biofeedback allows you to correct the contraction
while doing the exercises on your own, as well as allowing you to gradually increase the eort and duration, this is why they are called pelvic oor trainers,
pelvic muscle trainers, pelvic trainers.
1. Barbells, vaginal weights or cones designed to be
held in the vagina. The action of passively/actively
retaining the device internally improves muscle
tone.

A Healthy diet: To keep your pelvic muscles strong,

it is also needed to feed the muscles properly daily These pelvic toners help women by:
to ensure its correct growth and repair. So, getting
1. giving them condence that they are properly cona healthy diet full of wholegrain organic carbohytracting their pelvic oor muscles, what can be very
drates, organic lean animal protein, excellent muscle

3
helpful encouragement when starting out pelvic oor
exercises.
2. giving them feedback that may be particularly helpful to demonstrate that they are carrying out their
pelvic oor exercises properly.
3. giving them the opportunity not to consult a gynecologist when they wish to keep their condition condential.

See also
Vagina
Gynaecology

External links
Aesthetic Surgery of the Female Genitalia
Pelvic Health Solutions
Physiotherapists cure incontinence
Continence Foundation of Australia
How physio can help pelvic oor disorders
Disorders Related to Excessive Pelvic Floor Muscle
Tension

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