Ben Wa balls against pelvic floor weakness after pregnancy

* NOTE: The terms "Geisha balls, Kegel balls, Ben Wa balls, love balls, love egg, vibrating egg, vaginal egg, vaginal balls all mean the same. So in this text we use the terms "Kegel balls (or ... balls)" alternatingly.

In this guide, as a midwife and certified pelvic floor therapist, I will give you tips on how you can use Ben Wa balls during postnatal recovery to prevent pelvic floor weakness or to train your pelvic floor. And above all: Which of the unbelievable number of Ben Wa balls are actually suitable for this. The few balls that are really suitable are not only available as a set, but also individually. Certified medical Ben Wa balls with proven effectiveness come at a price, but they are worth it.

Table of Contents:

Take some time to understand the connections:

Pregnancy and the birth of a baby are natural events for the female body, which is what nature has designed it for. Nevertheless, the stresses and strains of pregnancy and childbirth are ideal conditions for damage to the pelvic floor. I would therefore like to give all pregnant women the urgent tip to undertake targeted training following the birth of the baby in order to counteract pelvic floor weakness as early as possible after pregnancy. However, I do not recommend using Ben Wa balls during pregnancy.

Manufacturers of sex toys have also discovered the topic of the pelvic floor as an additional market. New products are constantly being offered in great designs and attractive colors that promise to be effective against pelvic floor weakness (after pregnancy) as well as providing incredible erotic sensations.

However, the differences in the quality of Ben Wa balls are enormous, both in terms of the materials and the intensity of the vibration that is generated inside (unfortunately not visible). In order to be effective against pelvic floor weakness after pregnancy, you should know which properties are important for optimal pelvic floor training:

• As high an efficiency as possible, because weak vibrations do not stimulate the muscles sufficiently. Unfortunately, there is a lack of specific information on this everywhere; the usual advertising slogans about exciting sex are simply not enough.
• Different sizes and weights for optimal adaptation to your own body and training are important. The commercially available three variations (maximum!) for pelvic floor training are simply far too few, as experience in my practice has shown.
• Is the material safe for prolonged wear? "Medical silicone" is a term that is often used, but it is not a legal definition and therefore says nothing about harmful substances. The terms "Ben Wa balls (or: Geisha balls) comparison test" or "the best Ben Wa balls" often googled.
• Medical device or not? Only genuine medical Ben Wa balls must provide proof that they are free of harmful substances and that they are effective. And these are only those that are certified as medical devices.

The function of the female pelvic floor

A woman's pelvic floor has done a great job after pregnancy and the birth of a baby: For a long time, it has carried an enormous amount of extra weight, in addition to its other tasks such as supporting and holding the organs in the pelvis, maintaining an upright posture to protect the spine and the closing functions of the urethra and bowel. This additional total weight consists not only of the baby's weight, but also of amniotic fluid, the growing uterus and the placenta.

And this is achieved under difficult circumstances because body structures such as tendons and ligaments etc. as well as the entire pelvic floor become softer and more flexible due to the pregnancy hormones. In order to be able to open up for the birth of the baby, the pelvic floor not only needs strength and a holding function, but also elasticity and flexibility like any other musculature. On a spiritual and psychological level, a healthy pelvic floor gives you a feeling of inner stability.

Healthy pelvic floor muscles are also enormously important for a woman and her partner when it comes to sexuality: with good function, she can open her vagina, e.g. to accommodate the penis, to hold and massage it, so to speak. A caesarean section has a negative effect on your pelvic floor, as it is connected to the straight abdominal muscles that were severed by the incision. This makes training impossible at first, and even after healing, the important connection remians weakened for a long time.

Consequences of pelvic floor weakness

Weakened pelvic floor muscles can have a wide range of consequences: One common consequence is incontinence, especially urinary incontinence in various forms. It is understandable that women with such complaints feel extremely uncomfortable and insecure. Fecal incontinence, which is fortunately much rarer, naturally has an even greater impact on everyday life and quality of life. Hi-impact sports, where both feet come off the ground and the body bounces back on impact, such as fast running, ball sports and especially trampolining, should be avoided because they cause additional damage to the weakened pelvic floor. (Note: Nordic walking with a viball is a real miracle cure, however! see below for more information).

Pelvic floor problems often go hand in hand with poor posture. It is not only women who are affected, but people of all genders and especially those with a high body weight often have too little strength and stability to hold themselves upright and straight. This often leads to chronic back problems or pain in the lumbar spine. It can also lead to organ prolapse in various degrees of severity, such as in the vagina, uterus, bladder or bowel. This can lead to inflammation and other subsequent problems and, last but not least, these problems make sex with a partner more difficult (vagina too "wide").

Suitable Ben Wa balls for regression after pregnancy

As mentioned above, you should do targeted training after the birth to build up and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and for postnatal recovery. The best way to do this is in a postnatal class with other women in a midwife's practice. If you also train on your own at home, this will help you enormously. I have designed special pelvic floor exercises with Viball(see below) that will help you to train your pelvic floor muscles as well as your entire musculature. You should also check your movements and your behavior in everyday life and at home to see whether they are pelvic floor-friendly or harmful, make yourself aware of this again and again and correct it if necessary. I will give you tips on this below.

In addition, aids that are inserted vaginally can effectively support involution. Vaginal cones or Kegels (cone-shaped weights) are probably the best known and oldest. However, because cones or Kegel usually lead to (unconscious) cramping when used for long periods, you should only use them for active training or Kegel exercises and not for longer periods. However, in my experience from postnatal courses, vaginal cones are only suitable for this purpose to a limited extent because they are too small for many women and generally slip out easily.

Ben Wa balls are more suitable: Hollow balls in which a solid ball swings during movement and triggers vibrations that stimulate the pelvic floor. These balls are more perceptible and therefore easier to hold, especially when worn in everyday life. And they combine the effects of weight and vibration. However, not every erotic toy has the quality and effect to help as a pelvic floor therapy ball.