How To Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor After Baby (Without Boring Kegel Exercises)

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Feeling like everything “down there” isn’t quite what it used to be post-baby, but dread doing boring kegel exercises? The Perifit kegel exerciser might be just the solution you’re looking for.

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I had two very difficult–but thankfully uncomplicated–pregnancies with type 1 diabetes.

My first baby was a C-section at 37 weeks 5 days, and I never dilated or even felt a contraction. While my friends were crossing their legs and stifling big laughs to avoid bladder leaks, everything “down there” felt pretty normal to me, even when I was pregnant with my second baby.

Baby #2 was also a C-section, but I had the opportunity to labor and dilate with her beforehand. While my pelvic floor eventually came away from that delivery unscathed, I noticed that for a few weeks afterwards, things definitely felt different. Weaker.

It took about three weeks, but eventually those feelings went away. As far as I can tell, everything about my pelvic floor went back to normal. But I also know that C-sections don’t necessarily protect you from pelvic floor disorders, and I’ve always wondered if my pregnancies affected my pelvic floor in ways I didn’t realize.

So when the lovely folks at Perifit reached out to me to see if I was interested in trying out their kegel exerciser, I was very intrigued.

First of all, I had never even heard of a kegel exerciser before! Kegel exercises–those squeezes you’re supposed to do to prepare for pregnancy and birth and to improve sexual health? …Yeah…I never really did them.

I tried for a little bit, but kegel exercises are, in my opinion, super boring and repetitive. It’s pretty hard to exercise muscles you can’t see and don’t normally pay much attention to, and I had no way of knowing if I was wasting my time or actually making a difference.

The Perifit device promised to change that, so I figured it was worth a try! Ready to check it out?

The device shipped discreetly, so you can’t tell what is inside the box until you open it. Inside, I found my device tucked safely away:

The instructions to get set up are extremely simple and are found on the inside flap of the box and in the included instruction booklet.

First, you’ll download the Perifit app, which is compatible with both Android and Apple phones. Next, you’ll turn on your phone’s bluetooth if it isn’t already on. Then you’ll press the on/power button on the bottom of your Perifit device. Finally, you’ll launch the app and follow the instructions. It will walk you through exactly how to pair it with your phone. I’d say the whole process took less than 5 minutes.

Once you’re all set up, you’ll see a screen like this and have an opportunity to walk through all of the features of the app.

It’s seriously that simple! From there, you can select the training program you would like to try:

This is what the home screen initially looks like when you first set up your device (below). The app keeps track of how often you’ve used it and lets you know which level you have reached in each program. As you advance through levels, you get access to different screens and games to play.

The first thing I recommend doing is a strength test. It will give you a baseline idea of your pelvic floor strength so you can see how much you improve.

Here is a sample of what one of the games looks like:

I was surprised at how difficult some of these levels were, and I liked to see that the game forced you to both rapidly and gradually increase and decrease the amount of pressure placed on the device. The ability to contract the pelvic floor is just as important as the ability to relax it, and these games were designed by doctors to help you do both.

The top of the Perifit has a deep pelvic floor layer pressure sensor, whereas the middle of the device contains a sensor to detect superficial (less deep) pelvic floor muscle use.

In games like this, in which you are required to rapidly contract your muscles, you’ll find you HAVE to use those deeper muscles to be successful. Honestly? I wasn’t even aware of these muscles until I played! I’m pretty sure regular kegel exercises wouldn’t have provided this same benefit.

I was really impressed with the efficacy of the device. Even after just a handful of uses, it was clear that it was doing what it was supposed to.

And the best part? You don’t have to play for extended periods of time to get results! Even just 5 minutes a day or a few times a week has been shown to make a difference. The folks at Perifit recommend training for at least 30 minutes a week for best results.

So, here’s the final breakdown:

The Good:

• Excellent option for women struggling with incontinence, prolapse, and other pelvic floor disorders.

• Does what it promises! And in a way that makes you forget you’re doing kegels (which to me is the best part).

• Easy to use and clean, and very comfortable.

• Your Perifit device does not need to be charged. The battery is guaranteed for 10 years.

• Not sure if you even have weak pelvic floor muscles? The Perifit kegel exerciser is still useful for improving intimacy!

The Neutral:

• This product does NOT do what it looks like it might do. It does not vibrate. If you buy it for that, you’ll be disappointed.

• This product is not recommended for pregnant women or women who are less than 6 weeks postpartum. This is mostly recommended out of an abundance of caution and not because there is evidence that the device will cause harm.

• I consider the Perifit to be very safe to use, but some might have concerns about energy emissions from a device in the body. Here’s what Perifit has to say: “Perifit is an FDA registered device which is 100% safe to use. It produces only non-ionising Bluetooth Low Energy waves from its tail which always remains outside the body. Bluetooth devices are extremely low powered – approximately 10,000 times less than a regular smartphone. It is due to this fact that lots of wireless healthcare and medical devices use Bluetooth. Moreover, Perifit uses Bluetooth Low Energy, which offers an even lower emission than standard Bluetooth.”

The (Theoretical) Bad:

• I did not have this problem, but it’s possible that if you have a particularly low cervix, this device may be uncomfortable. If you do not have pain or difficulty with intercourse, this device shouldn’t cause discomfort. It is approximately 3.1 inches long and 0.8 inches in diameter.

PERIFIT KEGEL EXERCISER: THE VERDICT

I love the Perifit device. It does exactly what it promises, and it does it in a surprisingly entertaining and simple way. No more boring kegel exercises for me! Worth it.

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