The Pelvic Floor with Gigi Engle

Hi there. Welcome to sex education with Gigi Engle. This episode was written by certified sex educator and journalist Gigi Engle. She’s also the author of the book All The Fucking Mistakes: A Guide To Sex, Love, and Life.

Today, we’re going to be talking about the pelvic floor which plays a very important role in sexual function. We’re going to explore the area, talk about its importance, and give you some tips for improving your sexual function. A strong pelvic floor can make orgasms stronger, longer, and overall more pleasurable.

So, let’s get started. The pelvic floor consists of the muscles reaching from your pelvis to the coccyx, which is, essentially, your tailbone. These muscles are responsible for keeping all of your lower organs in place. This hammock-shaped structure of muscles is key to your overall sexual health. They are often referred to as pubococcygeus muscles or “PC’s,” for short.

The PC’s are responsible for keeping your urine in your bladder and your core strong. Additionally, the pelvic floor plays a very important role during pregnancy and post-natal recovery. Basically, any muscle in the vulva, vaginal, and anal region is affected by or otherwise plays a role within the pelvic floor. Of course, the pelvic floor also plays a huge role in sex.

A strong and healthy pelvic floor is going to make your orgasms more enjoyable and contribute to overall increased sexual wellness. By increasing the strength of these muscles in your pelvic floor, your orgasms are going to become much more intense. The strength of your pelvic core is correlated with your entire urethral-clitoral-vaginal system.

When the pelvic floor is weakened, due mostly to lack of proper exercise, proper exercise, age, hormones, childbirth (in some cases) and many other reasons, you may experience a decrease in sexual function. Another tell-tale sign of a weak pelvic floor is the sneeze-and-pee, or when you sneeze and a little bit of pee comes out. Sometimes it’s said that the amount of people you’ve slept with is directly correlated to how tight or loose your vagina is. This, as you probably can imagine, is false and a misunderstanding of how the pelvic floor operates.

The vagina is made of elastic tissue that is held in place by the pelvic floor. Much like a sock being held in place by a series of rubber bands. When you stretch the socks within the rubber band hammock and then yet go, it snaps right back into place. It is the pelvic floor that determines much of your vagina function.

What this all means is that no amount of sex is going to determine the tightness or looseness of your vagina. It isn’t a muscle that can be stretched out by childbirth, let alone a trip to PoundTown.

Besides the dreaded sneeze and pee we all experience as we get older, a weak pelvic floor can also play a role in dyspareunia, or pain in the vulva, especially during sex. As we get older, we experience large shifts in our hormones. Natural lubrication and libido tends to go down when this happens. And while this can be understandably uncomfortable, a weak pelvic floor can exacerbate that discomfort.

So, what can we do to maintain pelvic floor health? Just like the rest of our body, work it out. Kegel exercises are not going to make your vagina tighter, but they will make your pelvic floor stronger. They’ll also lead to increased sensitivity during sex.

When your pelvic floor muscles are strong, you can physically squeeze around your partner’s penis, dildos, or whatever other toys you may be putting inside your vagina. Just a note before we go any further—if you suffer from dyspareunia or vaginismus, you should not engage in kegels as they can actually exacerbate any discomfort you may be feeling during sex.

So, let’s talk about how to properly do kegels. They actually quite easy to perform, but you have to make sure that you’re doing them right to be getting all of the benefits from them. To start, let’s talk about how to identify the Kegel muscles. The next time you’re in the bathroom, try to stop your flow of urine. The internal muscles you’re using to make this happen are the Kegels.

The great thing about them is that you can work them out pretty much anytime–in the car, on the couch, standing in line. Anywhere. So, how exactly do we exercise these muscles? It might take a little bit of practice before you can be certain that you’re doing it correctly, but you should be able to feel a slight contraction in your lower pelvic area when done right.

You’ll want to squeeze the muscle inward and up, as if you’re drawing them into your belly. Then, you’ll want to hold for five to ten seconds before releasing. I recommend doing this ten to twenty times, twice per day. Let’s try a few right now. First, take a slow, deep breath.

Very good. Okay, on the next inhale, squeeze your kegel muscles. We’re going to hold for ten seconds before letting go. Ready?

1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10. Release.

Very good. Check in with yourself—how did that feel?

Can you tell if you performed it properly? Don’t worry if it felt a little strange or uncomfortable. We’re going to do two more together. Ready?

1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10. Release.

Perfect. And one last time.

1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10. Release.

Great job. Continue practicing every day. Eventually, you’ll want to move up to two sets of fifty repetitions each day. If you get bored of doing kegel exercises on your own, there are plenty of toys you can use to assist you. For example, kegel balls and trainers are quite popular.

Much like traditional strength training, kegel balls are going to add weight to your training. Your vaginal muscles will naturally contract to hold the balls inside. Once they’re inserted, you can walk around with them inside of you for about twenty minutes or so.

They’re just as easy to remove as they are to put in. Just sit down on a soft surface and bear down. They should gently pop out of you. If they don’t, you can slip a finger inside the vagina and fish them out. Don’t worry—there’s no way they can get stuck or lost inside of you. The vagina is a closed system.

Thanks so much for joining us on this episode about the pelvic floor. I hope you’ve enjoyed this three-part anatomy series and that you leave with a better understanding of your body.