Kegel8 Exercise Cones Review

Always on the look-out for alternative ways to strengthen my pelvic floor, I decided to try a set of vaginal cones.

A clinical study has shown that the pelvic muscles can be trained back into shape by retaining a weighted cone in the vagina and, in a medical study of 30 women who used the cones for one month, 70% of cases with stress incontinence were improved or cured. The research says that these are ideal for preventing problems with bladder control later in life too.

Kegel8 Exercise Cones are specifically designed to strengthen the PC muscles quickly and easily. Their unique design features a ‘squeeze indicator’ that moves downwards when you are exercising correctly deep within your pelvic muscles. The blurb states that if you can do the exercises properly, then you are just weeks away from getting your pelvic floor back into shape.

Pelvic Exercising with the Kegel8 Pelvic Floor Toning System can also be used as an enhancement to your sexual pleasure, as a preparation for pregnancy or to tone up after childbirth. It is not recommended to use them whilst pregnant or if you have suffered a prolapse – the Kegel8 Ultra is a far better option here as it has a programme specially designed for prolapse.

Made from Medical Grade TPE (a form of silicone) there are three different pelvic exercise cones weighing 24g, 37g and 48g.

OK, so that’s the technical blurb out of the way. Now for my review.

Each cone looks like a big tadpole and comes complete with an indicator so you can see whether you are using them properly.

Lie on a bed or the floor and insert the bulbous end of the biggest/lightest cone (the large pale pink one) into your vagina as if it were a tampon. The tail should be pointing upwards and you should stop once the half-way point )the bend in the tail) is almost touching the labia. It should go in fairly easily but, if you do struggle, a little water-based lubricant will help things along. If this toner is too big, use the medium one instead.

Once you have found the most comfortable toner for you, contract/tighten your pelvic floor muscles around it as if you were trying to avoid breaking wind or stopping a wee midstream. It should feel as if you are lifting up the internal muscles and, if you are doing it correctly, the tip of the tail of the toner will move downwards. Any upwards movement means that you need to reassess your technique as you are squeezing the wrong muscles.

When you’re sure you’re doing it right, the instructions are that you should try each cone individually to find the heaviest toner you can retain for one minute whilst standing still with your knees slightly bent. If it starts to fall out, then this is the right size to use as your Starter Toner. If it’s still in place after five minutes, then you should use the smaller, heavier model. Your Starter Toner should be the one you can only just keep in for one or two minutes whilst standing.

If, after several attempts, you can’t keep any of them in at all, then you should seek professional guidance from your GP or Practise Nurse.

The 12 week Exercise Plan aims to get you retaining the smallest, heaviest cone inside your vagina for 20 minutes whilst you do the housework.

Having spent the last year exercising regularly with my Kegel8 Tight & Tone, I could manage this without any problem straightaway, despite my reservations because of the hormonal effects of the Menopause on my muscle tone generally.

I think it helps because the muscles at the very entrance to my vagina are extremely tight and the round shape of the cone sort of slots into it from the inside so that it has to be physically retracted to remove it. However, I do know that I struggle to hold the probe from the Kegel 8 inside me if I try to stand up because it has no lumps and bumps to retain it, so the muscles further up inside me definitely require some work.

It is time to move on to the vaginal barbell and provide my infamous pelvic floor muscles with a real challenge.

Take a look at that instrument of torture and imagine how much more difficult it’s going to be to retain such a hefty piece of kit in the vertical position.