Kegel Exercises: The Secret Weapon for Sexual Wellness

Older Couple Showing Affection

Most of understand the importance of keeping the muscles in our arms, legs, back, shoulder and chest strong and healthy. It's quite common to develop exercise routines that cover all the major muscle groups on a weekly basis. Another set of muscles that are often forgotten about are our pelvic floor muscles, which stretch from the pubic bone to the tailbone in the and from one side of the pelvis to the other. This group of muscles forms the "floor" of the pelvis and supports organs like the bladder, bowel, and uterus. These muscles are a part of both the male and female anatomy and properly exercising them can result in many benefits for adults and older adults. These benefits range from improved control over urinary and fecal incontinence, to improved sexual health.

How to Correctly Perform Kegel Exercises

To exercise our pelvic floor muscles, we can't just pick up a set of weights or barbells. First we need to learn how to locate our pelvic floor muscles, and second we need to develop a plan to integrate exercising them into our daily routine. Pelvic floor muscle training is known as Kegel exercise or Kegels, named after after Dr. Arnold Henry Kegel, an American gynecologist in the mid‑20th century.

1. To locate your pelvic floor muscles, it is helpful to lie down and squeeze "as if" you are attempting to stop the flow or urine passing. Or squeeze "as if" you are trying to prevent yourself from passing gas or having a bowel movement. In an effort to find the correct muscles, you can also stop the flow of urine while you are peeing; however, this should not be done regularly since it has promote a urinary infection. Use it to locate these muscles and then avoid it going forward.

2. Creating a daily routine. Kegel exercises are recommended to be done is sets of 10, either two or three times a day. One Kegel exercise involves squeezing the pelvic muscles for 3 seconds and then letting the muscles relax for 3 seconds. In theory, a set of 10 should only take about 1-2 minutes. The challenge is making these exercises a routine part of your life. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night is one way of setting up your routine. It is also helpful to attach them to another activity which triggers your memory, such as after brushing your teeth in the morning, or during your lunch break. Kegel exercises can be completed in any position, sitting, standing, or lying down once you get the hang of doing them.

Sexual Benefits of Kegel Exercises for Both Males & Females

Since the male and female anatomy is different, the benefits of Kegel exercises vary based on one's reproductive design. Research has shown males may see improved erectile strength, orgasm intensity, ejaculatory control and increased confidence. Kegels have also been found to reduce male pelvic pain and prostatitis symptoms.

Females practicing Kegel exercises have improved blood circulation to the pelvic floor and vagina. This may result in enhanced arousal, lubrication, orgasm and sexual satisfaction while also reducing pain. These benefits are especially valuable during menopause and reproductive transition times.

In addition to sexual benefits, Kegel exercises have also been found to be beneficial in both male and female post-surgical recovery with any procedures related to the reproductive or genitourinary areas. Post-delivery recovery after the delivery of a baby is a key time to ensure Kegel exercises are being done regularly. The benefits of Kegel exercises continue to be explored and researched benefits continue to expand annually.

Conclusion

We may not think about pelvic floor muscles on a regular basis, as they are not ones we can easily see. In fact, it may not be until we have a problem with our genitourinary or sexual health that we consider that our pelvic floor muscles deserve equal attention when we are working on our body's muscle tone. By learning Kegel exercise techniques and practicing them twice or three times a day on a regular basis, individuals and their intimate partners are likely to experience the tremendous benefits these exercises can potentially provide.

References

• Fausto, D. Y., Martins, J. B. B., Moratelli, J. A., Lima, A. G., & Guimarães, A. C. A. (2023). The effect of body practices and physical exercise on sexual function of menopausal women.: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International journal of sexual health: Official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health, 35(3), 414–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2023.2220327

• Khosravi, A., Riazi, H., Simbar, M., & Montazeri, A. (2022). Effectiveness of Kegel exercise and lubricant gel for improving sexual function in menopausal women: A randomized trial. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 274, 106-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2022.05.022

• Prasong, N., & Sugkaroek, P. (2025). The Effect of Kegel exercise on sexual function in menopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Current Science and Technology, 15(3), 113-113.

• Ramadan, A. G., Abd El-Mohsen, A. S., Sayed, H. H., & Mahmoud, A. M. T. (2022). The effect of Kegel exercises program on sexual function of patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis. Indonesian Journal of Global Health Research, 4(2).

• Tekbaş, S. (2025). The effect of pelvic floor muscle exercise on sexual function in women of reproductive age: A randomized controlled trial. Medicine, 104(37), e44324. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000044324

• Yıldız Karaahmet, A., Dişli Çetinçay, D., & Hotun Şahin, N. (2025). Exercise and sexuality in women with menopausal symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 31(1), e13318. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.13318 

Websites:

• Kegel exercises. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14611-kegel-exercises

• Kegel exercises for men: Understand the benefits. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/kegel-exercises-for-men/art-20045074

• Kegels: The 30-second exercise that can improve incontinence and sex. https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/womens-health-articles/kegels-the-30-second-exercise-that-can-improve-incontinence-and-sex

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