Have you heard of pelvic floor exercises for men? These moves, including the famous Kegel exercises, are often associated with their benefits for women.
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Have you heard of pelvic floor exercises for men? These moves, including the famous Kegel exercises, are often associated with their benefits for women. But—surprise!—Kegels offer health wins for men, too. These exercises stand to improve bladder control, erectile function, sexual performance, and more.
Women are often told to do Kegel exercises to strengthen their pelvic floor as they age, particularly after giving birth, because the event may weaken the pelvic muscles that support the uterus, bowels, and bladder. While pelvic floor exercises may help women who experience urinary incontinence, leakage when they sneeze, and bowel control problems, men may be prone to many of these same issues — and the same solution of pelvic floor exercises may improve those symptoms.
Below, learn about the potential benefits of Kegels for men, plus how to actually perform the exercise. If you’re trying to improve your bowel control, enhance sexual function, or recover after prostate surgery, this guide to pelvic floor exercises for men can help.
The pelvic floor is a hammock-shaped group of muscles that extends from the pubic bone to your tailbone, wrapping tightly around the anus and urethra. You may not realize it, but you engage your pelvic floor muscles many times throughout the day. These muscles play a role in continence (bladder and bowel control), passing gas, and even sexual function.
As such, pelvic floor dysfunction in men can lead to urinary or fecal incontinence (aka, urine or stool leakage). Also, if the pelvic floor becomes weak, there may be resulting sexual health issues that can make developing and maintaining an erection difficult. To help strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles (and the side effects that situation may bring), healthcare providers may recommend Kegels for men.
The exact causes of pelvic floor dysfunction are not fully understood. Many factors may contribute to a weak pelvic floor, such as:
Surgery for bladder or bowel issues
Recovery from prostate cancer or prostatectomy
Excessive heavy lifting
Aging
Constant coughing (like smoker’s cough)
Obesity or overweight
Most men can benefit from a pelvic floor exercise routine. But Kegels for men are most important for those who are already experiencing signs of a weak pelvic floor.
Signs and symptoms of weak pelvic floor muscles include:
Urinary incontinence (including dribbling after urination)
Frequent urination
Voiding dysfunction (feeling like you’re not fully empty after urination)
Fecal incontinence
Constipation
Erectile dysfunction
Ejaculatory dysfunction
Pain during sex
Orgasmic dysfunction
Pelvic organ prolapse
Pelvic pain
Decreased quality of life
If you’re unsure if you should perform Kegels due to a medical condition or recent surgery, seek medical advice. You should also never perform pelvic floor exercises if you have a catheter in place.
While Kegel exercises pose few risks, doing too many, too often may increase muscle tension or worsen your symptoms. Stop and consult your provider if you feel any pain after doing Kegels.
From better bladder and bowel control to a reduced risk of prostate issues and beyond, there are a few ways that a pelvic floor exercise routine may improve components of a man’s health.
Because we’ve already touched on it, we’ll keep this one short and sweet. Incontinence may be due to a variety of causes, like prostate removal, overactive bladder, and nerve damage due to blood sugar issues (diabetes). If you’re having trouble controlling your bladder or bowel movements, pelvic floor exercises may help.
One study of male participants who experienced incontinence after a prostate removal concluded that those who performed Kegels saw improvement in bladder control within three to six months.
Additional research suggests Kegels are a boon for prostate health, with the exercises associated with improved outcomes after prostate surgery, including continence issues and quality of life.
While further studies are necessary, Kegel exercises could help improve sexual performance by strengthening the muscles and promoting better blood circulation in the pelvic area.
One study found that 40 percent of men ages 20 and older who experienced erectile dysfunction (ED) regained erectile function after six months of performing pelvic floor exercises and making other lifestyle changes.
Research has found that pelvic floor exercises may improve premature ejaculation (PE), a condition in which you reach orgasm too quickly to have satisfying sex. Kegels specifically are among the top exercises recommended for treating PE.
One small study of 40 men with lifelong PE found that nearly 83 percent of them could gain control of their ejaculatory reflex after 12 weeks of Kegel exercises.
A daily routine of pelvic floor muscle training can improve pelvic health and strengthen weak muscles around the rectum, prostate, scrotum, and other pelvic organs.
So, how do you do Kegel exercises? Here’s the simple three-step process:
Empty. Before starting any Kegel exercises, empty your bladder.
Squeeze. Squeeze and hold your pelvic floor muscles for five seconds, then relax them for another five seconds.
Repeat. Repeat that “squeeze and relax” flow for 10 to 20 reps, three to four times daily.
Once you start to feel progress, be sure to switch things up. Try doing Kegel exercises while standing, sitting, or even while walking. And once you start, don’t stop — focus and consistency are key.
One quick note: You want to ensure you’re targeting the right muscles when doing these exercises. Having a hard time “finding” your pelvic floor muscles? When you’re peeing, try to stop the flow of urine mid-stream. That clenching activates your pelvic floor muscles. The correct muscles can sometimes be hard to locate, so if you’re struggling with the identification phase, consider seeing a physical therapist or urology specialist for help.
Once you’ve located the right muscles, be sure to practice your Kegel repetitions regularly each day when you’re not urinating. While stopping your urine stream midway to find the muscles is an effective way to identify the muscles in the first place, you don’t want to stop your urination process constantly.
If you’re considering pelvic floor exercises to improve sexual health issues like erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, that’s great. But, do know there are other treatment options available.
Some of the most popular ED treatments are a class of drugs called PDE5 inhibitors. They include:
These science-backed medications help you attain harder, longer-lasting erections by improving blood flow to your penis. Aside from being proven to work on their own, they can also be used in tandem with pelvic floor muscle exercises.
Premature ejaculation treatments include prescription medication like fluoxetine (generic for Prozac®) or over-the-counter benzocaine wipes, which help reduce sensitivity in your penis.
ED and PE can be treated together (as they often occur together) with 2-in-1 medications, therapy, behavioral strategies, and more. Connect with a medical expert today to see what’s available.
Even though pelvic floor exercises are often linked to women’s health, men can benefit greatly, too. Here’s what we know:
Kegels can improve bladder control issues. If you’re experiencing incontinence due to surgery or other health issues, pelvic floor exercises may help.
Pelvic floor exercises may also help improve sexual function. Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles to help improve your ED or PE symptoms.
Pelvic floor exercises work well in combination with other treatment options. For the best results, combine pelvic floor exercises with other treatments for ED or PE, such as prescription medication, therapy, or over-the-counter treatments.
You can also learn more about physical therapy for ED and potential home remedies for premature ejaculation.
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