Q: I leak urine when I laugh, sneeze or jump. A friend told me that vaginal weights can help with this, but it seems sort of weird. Are they really effective?
A: About one in three women leak urine after giving birth. This is called "stress incontinence" and it's due to weakened pelvic floor muscles, allowing for the neck of the bladder to "sag down" so that urine can escape with laughing, coughing, or sneezing.
Most doctors tell women to do Kegel exercises to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. In some cases, surgery is required. But studies have also shown that vaginal weights can strengthen the muscles enough to reduce incontinence as well.
Here's how they work: You insert a cone-shaped weight into your vagina and then work on squeezing your muscles to keep the weights in place for about 15 minutes, once or twice a day. (You can actually go about your daily business while doing this!) Once you're able to hold this weight in easily, you try a slightly heavier weight (they are sold in sets).
Advocates of the weights believe that it's easier for a woman to learn to isolate and train her pelvic floor muscles properly using the weights than it is using just Kegels, which are easy to do incorrectly.
You can get vaginal weights over-the-counter, on-line, or as a prescription, via your health care provider.
The first published study on vaginal cones for urinary stress incontinence was published in 1988! While only 30 women completed the full month of using the cones, the results were amazing. Originally scheduled for surgery for stress incontinence, 63% of the women felt cured or improved enough to cancel their surgeries.
Now, after over 40 additional studies, the results are some what more measured. While some studies show the cones to be superior to pelvic floor muscle training using Kegel exercises (Arvonen, 2001), others have not (BØ, 1999). A critical evaluation of all trials done with cones was published in 2001 as a part of the famous Cochrane Database System Review. This excellent summary found the following:
A: About one in three women leak urine after giving birth. This is called "stress incontinence" and it's due to weakened pelvic floor muscles, allowing for the neck of the bladder to "sag down" so that urine can escape with laughing, coughing, or sneezing.
Most doctors tell women to do Kegel exercises to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. In some cases, surgery is required. But studies have also shown that vaginal weights can strengthen the muscles enough to reduce incontinence as well.
Here's how they work: You insert a cone-shaped weight into your vagina and then work on squeezing your muscles to keep the weights in place for about 15 minutes, once or twice a day. (You can actually go about your daily business while doing this!) Once you're able to hold this weight in easily, you try a slightly heavier weight (they are sold in sets).
Advocates of the weights believe that it's easier for a woman to learn to isolate and train her pelvic floor muscles properly using the weights than it is using just Kegels, which are easy to do incorrectly.
You can get vaginal weights over-the-counter, on-line, or as a prescription, via your health care provider.
The first published study on vaginal cones for urinary stress incontinence was published in 1988! While only 30 women completed the full month of using the cones, the results were amazing. Originally scheduled for surgery for stress incontinence, 63% of the women felt cured or improved enough to cancel their surgeries.
Now, after over 40 additional studies, the results are some what more measured. While some studies show the cones to be superior to pelvic floor muscle training using Kegel exercises (Arvonen, 2001), others have not (BØ, 1999). A critical evaluation of all trials done with cones was published in 2001 as a part of the famous Cochrane Database System Review. This excellent summary found the following:
- Cones were definitely better than no treatment.
- No significance was found between cones, Kegel exercises, and electro-stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles in their effectiveness.
- There is not enough evidence to show that combining cones plus Kegels gave any better results than any single treatment.
Generally most healthcare providers will adhere to a recommendation given by the Cochrane Review. But if you are a woman considering the use of weighted vaginal cones here are some additional things to think about.
- First, one really needs to be sure that they have stress incontinence. Cones may not be as successful with other types of urine leakage.
- Second, there may be better results among women who can advance to using the heaviest cones vs the lightest.
- Third, like different forms of birth control, one type of pelvic muscle strengthening may work better for you than your friend.
With some 5% of younger women, and almost 50% of elderly women, having symptoms of stress incontinence we should be able to access as many effective treatments as possible. Your best bet is to see your own MD or GYN to confirm that the urine loss is from stress incontinence. Then investigate your options as to cost, convenience, and preference. Weighted vaginal cones may be an excellent choice for you.
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