vaginal weights questions & answers

by Diane K. Newman, RNC, MSN, CRNP, FAAN

What are Vaginal Weights?

Vaginal Weights (also known as vaginal cones or kegel weights) are easy-to-use training aids specifically developed to help women identify and exercise specific muscle groups in the pelvic floor. They are sold as a set of five sterile, vaginal cones of varying weights.

How can pelvic floor exercises help?

Like any other muscle, the more the pelvic floor muscles are used and exercised, the stronger they become. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles may result in improved bladder control and decreased urine leakage.

How do vaginal cones help with the exercises?

The pelvic floor muscles can become so weak that it is difficult to identify them. Women sometimes exercise their buttocks or stomach muscles instead. Once the cone is introduced into the vagina, the pelvic floor muscles keep it in place, so you are sure to be using the correct muscles. Used properly with the prescribed exercises for at least three months, the vaginal cones improve pelvic muscle strength.

I feel a slight ache in the pelvic region. Is this normal?

It is normal to feel some discomfort or pain in the pelvic region when first beginning exercise with weights or when graduating to a heavier cone. This discomfort or pain may be attributed to the strain of untrained muscles, and it should subside with continued use. If discomfort or pain persists, or if severe pain occurs, discontinue use and consult your physician.

It's been a couple of weeks since I started exercising with the vaginal weights, but I don't feel any improvement.

Stay with it! Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles takes time, usually a minimum of three months, and your commitment to regular exercise. Certain factor such as fatigue, menstruation, a persistent cough, or repeated heavy lifting can slow your progress.

Because muscle conditions vary considerably from woman to woman, the correct pelvic floor muscle strength will also vary from one individual to another -- it is not necessary for every woman to reach the heaviest cone.

If at the end of the three-month training period your symptoms have improved, you may stop using the vaginal cones every day. At that point, you can just use them a few times a week or whenever you feel you're losing some of the benefit you've experienced.

I am ** years old, are vaginal weights right for me?

Women as young as 30 and as old as 70 have problems with stress related incontinence. Stress related incontinence is described as the inability to hold your urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or strain. Vaginal weights can help these women by identifying and strengthening their pelvic muscles.

Are vaginal weights available in a store near me?

We are not aware of every retailer of vaginal cones, but we do know that there are not many retailers that currently carry them. Your OB/GYN might know of a local business that sells them but many gynecologists send their patients to us to purchase vaginal weights.

Would you like to purchase Vaginal Weights?

You may purchase them directly from SeekWellness.

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