Dr. Laura Berman Webcast Transcript

 

Dr. Berman: That's right.

Oprah: Okay.

Dr. Berman: So when you exercise them, you don't want to do that during urination because you might cause a urinary tract infection. But you do want to exercise your Kegels several hundred times a day, both to avoid incontinence, leaking when you cough or sneeze.

Oprah: Get out. You said that—

Dr. Berman: Yes. And—

Oprah: A hundred times a day.

Dr. Berman: Yeah, but you can you do them—I know you can do 10 in 10 seconds. Do them—right now.

Oprah: Okay, I will. Go ahead.

Dr. Berman: So while I'm talking, do your Kegels. You should do them slow and fast.

Oprah: (Indicating. )

Dr. Berman: And you don't have to make faces so no one has to know you're doing them.

Oprah: (Indicating. )

Dr. Berman: But you want to squeeze—you want to squeeze and release slow and also fast. And you also want to exercise those core muscles that you do during core exercises. Those transverse abdominal muscles because that's part of it.

Oprah: Yeah.

Dr. Berman: Now during intercourse you squeeze those muscles because that creates more friction around your G-spot. Your G-spot is in like a third of the way into the vagina on the belly button side. So if a penis is in there and you squeeze your muscles, it makes your vagina tighter and provides more friction. So you can just either do them on your own. Some women prefer strengtheners, which is what these are. So this is one called Isis and it's an unweighted one. It's great for beginners if you've never done this before and it's—

Oprah: How would you get this instrument—

Dr. Berman: You insert this—you can get it on—it's in my line.

Oprah: At Amazon.com.

Dr. Berman: Yeah, at Amazon.com. Just look up pelvic—Kegel exercisers.

Oprah: Love it.

Dr. Berman: All right. They're called your Kegel muscles or your pubococcygeus muscles, PC muscles.

Oprah: Okay.

Dr. Berman: And you insert it into the vagina and squeeze around it. And you start off lying down, and you eventually can do it standing up. And then with this one, if you're—

Oprah: You need to be very clear because this is like making a—basting a turkey.

Dr. Berman: Okay.

Oprah: You have to tell people to take the plastic stuff out so—so you're not like walking around with this—

Dr. Berman: No. No. No.

Oprah: Walking around—

Dr. Berman: No, you're not walking around. Although you'd be surprised the stories I hear.

Oprah: What?You're standing at a bus stop trying to squeeze the thing.

Dr. Berman: Squeeze, release, squeeze, release. Hold it in. You start off lying down and supporting it.

Oprah: Yes.

Dr. Berman: And then once you feel like you can do that, you stand up at home, alone or maybe with a friend if you want to.

Oprah: Uh-huh.

Dr. Berman: Squeeze around it and try to—and you support it at first, but eventually try to just hold it in with your muscles alone. And that gives you really good control. Now this one is a more advanced one. This is a weighted one.  

Oprah: PhD.

Dr. Berman: Yeah, PhD Kegels.

Oprah: Master class.

Dr. Berman: So I always say that if you have good control of your Kegels and your transverse abdominals, you should be able to squeeze your Kegels in, in and up.

Oprah: In and up?

Dr. Berman: Yeah, in and up. That's if you're using your transverse too.

Oprah: Yeah.

Dr. Berman: In and back. And even side to side. Alternating sides.

Oprah: Can't do that.

Dr. Berman: I've got to give you one of these.

Oprah: No. Go ahead.

Dr. Berman: And so this one you would again start lying down and you start with the biggest side first.

Oprah: So this is just for Kegel.

Dr. Berman: For Kegels.

Oprah: Now that looks like it could also be some kind of—

Dr. Berman: It can be—yes, some women use this for sexual stimulation as well.

Oprah: Okay. Okay. So it's Kegel and/or—

Dr. Berman: And/or anything else you use.

Oprah: Did that help you, Alice?

Alice: Yes, it did. Thank you.

Oprah: I'm so happy we did.

Dr. Berman: Kegel exercises.

Oprah: Okay. So you could be Kegeling all day.

Dr. Berman: Traffic lights. At your desk. I have a—a woman who told me she—when she goes on road trips she does Kegels every mile sign. She does 10 Kegels.

Oprah: So in the end that makes for, what, better—

Dr. Berman: It makes for better sex. An orgasm is basically an intense contraction and release of muscle tension. So if your pelvic floor muscles are part of what contract and release during orgasm, the stronger they are, the more intense those contractions are going to be, so I have women do Kegels who either can't reach orgasm, their orgasms are less intense, they want to reach orgasm during intercourse, and of course to avoid incontinence—

Oprah: So let's say you Kegel'd for a week.

Dr. Berman: Yeah. I would say in two weeks you could see a huge difference.

Oprah: In your—

Dr. Berman: In your sexual response, especially if you use them during penetration, during intercourse, you'll have more friction and you'll also have more intense orgasms.

Oprah: So Kegel for a week and then you'll notice more intense orgasms.

Dr. Berman: Right. And this is a big one, too, for those women—it drives—it makes me crazy all of this—this trend of what they call vaginal rejuvenation surgeries where these women are getting surgeries to make their vagina smaller?

Oprah: Yes.

Dr. Berman: And first of all, you are doing nerve damage that you don't even necessarily understand. You're—often they're changing the shape of the vagina, which creates pain afterward. But if you just use your muscles, strengthen your muscles, you can squeeze around a pencil if you need to. So—so if you—so often these women are having these surgeries, it's because their Kegel muscles aren't strong enough.

Oprah: Yes. And is that because they delivered children or—

Dr. Berman: Yes, it's—children and childbirth. I mean, having a vaginal delivery is pushing a bowling ball through your pelvic floor. I mean, it's the equivalent of that.