Did you know that exercising is an effective way to treat erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation? In case you were wondering, no we’re not referring to gym exercises like deadlifts! We are instead referring to pelvic floor exercises, which are easy exercises that can be done by anyone, anywhere, and at any time! In this article, we discuss what pelvic floor exercises are, how to do them and their benefits.
Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor exercises, are exercises done to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles are found on your thighs, buttocks and lower abdomen.
These muscles not only support your pelvic organs and ensure that your bladder and bowels function properly, they also help you maintain an erection by increasing blood flow into the penis.
There are many reasons why your pelvic floor muscles can become weak and stop functioning properly over time. These include being unfit, overweight, or just general muscle weakening with age.
For one, they’re extremely discrete and can be done at any time and at any place. They are also easy to follow and do not require any form of specialised equipment. This means that it’s easy to fit these exercises into your daily routine and lifestyle.
Urinary Incontinence, otherwise known as the loss of bladder control, refers to the involuntary leakage of urine.
An overactive bladder can be the result of weak pelvic floor muscles. By incorporating kegel exercises into your daily routine, you can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles around and within the bladder to improve bladder control and prevent urine leakage.
In a study conducted in 20181, researchers found kegel exercises can improve incontinence by decreasing the volume and frequency of urine leakage.
Kegel exercises are also great as they can significantly improve your sexual experience. Stronger pelvic floor muscles improves blood flow into your penis, allowing you to get firmer erections. This is especially helpful if you experience erectile dysfunction (ED).
According to a 2005 study2, strengthening your pelvic floor muscles should be the first-line approach for men seeking a long-term solution for their premature ejaculation (PE).
This is because having weak pelvic floor muscles affects your ability to delay ejaculation, which eventually leads to PE. Kegels exercises strengthen these muscles which allows you to have more control over your ejaculations, and be able to contract those muscles at will.
Being able to contract your muscles at will also allows you to treat PE as you can delay your ejaculations. Overall, kegel exercises allow you to experience greater pleasure during sex and more orgasms.
Generally speaking, there are 3 different pelvic floor exercises that you can do to strengthen your muscles.
1. Begin by lying on your back. Place your hands flat on the floor with your knees bent and pointing upwards.
2. Draw your penis inwards towards your body and hold for 5 seconds. Release.
3. Squeeze your anus muscles and hold for 5 seconds (imagine that you’re holding in your bowel movements). Make sure your pelvic floor muscles are engaged. Release.
1. Lie on the floor on your side.
2. Place a pillow between your knees. The pillow should be big enough to spread your legs apart.
3. Squeeze both your legs together and hold for 5 seconds. Release.
1. Sit on any chair. Make sure that you’re in a comfortable position.
2. Squeeze your penis and hold for 5 seconds (imagine that you’re trying to stop urine from flowing out). Release.
For all the 3 exercises, it’s recommended that you do 3-5 sets of each exercise, with 8-10 repetitions per set. Try to do these kegel exercises daily.
These kegel exercises should not be causing you any pain. They should just feel like a slight tightening or pressure around your pelvic area. If you happen to experience any form of pain, stop doing any of the exercises and seek medical help.
Before you do any of the exercises, it’s important to know where your pelvic floor muscles are located. This way, you can be more certain that you’re targeting the right muscles during the exercise.
To identify your pelvic floor muscles, either stop your urination midstream or tighten the muscles that prevent you from passing gas. The muscles that you’re using in these actions are your pelvic floor muscles.
During the exercises, it’s important that you get the proper technique down. This reduces injury and ensures that you can better target the pelvic floor muscles. Once you’ve perfected the technique, you can start to branch out and experiment with doing the exercises while sitting, standing or walking!
It’s also important that you keep focused during the exercises, ensuring that you’re only tightening your pelvic floor muscles. Try your best to not flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks, and do not hold your breath. Breathe freely throughout the exercises.
To reap the benefits of these exercises, it's best that you incorporate them into your daily routine. As these exercises are discrete, it’s easy to do them at any time and place, regardless of the activities you have planned for the day.
As with most exercises, as you get stronger, you will find them less challenging to do. Thus, a good way to further increase your strength is to increase the difficulty of the exercises. You can do so by:
• Increasing the number of seconds you engage your muscles
• Increasing the number of repetitions per set
• Increasing the number of sets per exercise
If you do them daily, you should be able to see results after just 1 month. By the end of that month, you should be strong enough to hold your squeezes for 10 seconds, and hit around 8-10 sets per exercise.
According to a 2014 study3, 82.5% of men who underwent 12 weeks of pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation gained greater control of their ejaculatory reflexes. As such, they managed to increase their climax time and treat their PE.
Yes!
While pelvic floor exercises are one of the most popular and effective ways to treat PE, it is not the only method available. After all, the most effective way to treat PE differs depending on the individual.
There are currently many medications available to treat PE, such as oral medications like Priligy (Dapoxetine), and lidocaine sprays and creams. These medications can either be taken on their own, or in combination with other forms of PE treatment, such as pelvic floor muscle exercises.
Regarding Priligy, it is a PE medication belonging to a class of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). It treats PE by boosting serotonin levels in the body, leading to a delayed reaction in parts of the brain that control ejaculation. This prolongs the time it takes for a man to orgasm.
If oral medications aren’t your thing, you can also opt for lidocaine sprays and creams. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that’s used to numb specific areas of the body, allowing you to last longer in bed as it reduces the sensitivity of your penis. That said, rest assured that lidocaine will not completely numb your penis or affect your sexual experience.
While these medications are useful, it is possible that you might experience some side effects. Side effects of Priligy include dizziness and headaches, while side effects of lidocaine sprays and creams include skin irritation. As such, it's advised that you speak to a licensed professional or doctor prior to using any of these medications.
If you are experiencing premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction, it is advisable that you consult a doctor. Here at Noah, doctors on our platform are best equipped with the knowledge to help you ascertain the root cause of your conditions. They will be able to advise you on the best treatment suited for you, and can also prescribe you the right medication should you need it.
Articles featured on Noah are for informational purposes only and should not be constituted as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. If you're looking for a healthcare provider, click here.
1 Dumoulin, Chantale et al. “Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women.” The Cochrane database of systematic reviews vol. 10,10 CD005654. 4 Oct. 2018, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub4
2 Dorey, G., Speakman, M.J., Feneley, R.C.L., Swinkels, A. and Dunn, C.D.R. (2005), Pelvic floor exercises for erectile dysfunction. BJU International, 96: 595-597.
3 Pastore, Antonio L et al. “Pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation for patients with lifelong premature ejaculation: a novel therapeutic approach.” Therapeutic advances in urology vol. 6,3 (2014): 83-8. doi:10.1177/1756287214523329