SUBSCRIBE
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Health For Mzansi
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
Health For Mzansi

Sisters, listen up: Squeeze some kegels into your day

by Refilwe Mekoa
11th May 2022
in My Health
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
Kegels never hurt anybody says, Bontle Tswai (left), Palesa Lemeke (centre) and Zubeida Rewu (right). Experts agree and say kegels are a conservative treatment option for pelvic floor disorders. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Kegels never hurt anybody says, Bontle Tswai (left), Palesa Lemeke (centre) and Zubeida Rewu (right). Experts agree and say kegels are a conservative treatment option for pelvic floor disorders. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Is “tightness” a myth? Yeah, sure, but you should still be getting your kegels on sis. Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic-floor exercises, involve repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles that form part of the pelvic floor.

Cape Town gynae, Dr Natalia Novikova, tells Health For Mzansi, “every woman should do kegel exercises several times a day”.

Pelvic floor dysfunction can contribute to many conditions including urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, overactive bladder syndrome, bowel dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain syndrome and sexual dysfunction. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

While Johannesburg gynae, Dr Justin Molebatsi, explains that kegel exercises form an important part of pelvic floor muscle training or therapy and is used as a first line or conservative treatment option for most disorders of pelvic floor function.

“By increasing the strength of these muscles, these exercises can result in improved structural support of these pelvic organs and improve function.

Gynaecologist, Dr Justin Molebatsi

“It is important that patients are taught how to identify and train the correct muscles, and this usually requires involvement of a trained physiotherapist,” he says.

Molebatsi, is an obstetrician and gynaecologist in the urogynaecology unit at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital.

Many factors can lead to the weakening of your pelvic floor including pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, excessive straining from constipation or chronic coughing, and being overweight.

LISTEN TO SISTERS WITHOUT SHAME: Who says menopause is the final stop?

Babes, get a grip

The sensation of doing kegels should feel like you are stopping yourself from peeing, explains Malehlaku Tsebela (33) from Harrismith in the Free State. She says that she read about the benefits of kegel exercises in a women’s magazine a few years ago. Whenever she remembers, she will engage in her kegels.

Gynaecologist, Dr Natalia Novikova. Photo: Dr Novikova

“I know a major benefit is to keep your vaginal muscles tight, something along those lines, I can feel it’s beneficial during sex and I would advise other ladies to do the exercises as well.”

Zubeida Rewu (22) from Mamelodi in Pretoria, has also tried them before but it was a once off experience.

“I don’t think I care about the benefits, I tried advising other ladies and I failed. I told them to just try them so that they know of them, just like I did,” she says.

Meanwhile, Bontle Tswai (24) from Killarney, in Johannesburg, also knows what kegel exercises are and does them occasionally.  

Beneficial for all genders

“I learnt about kegel exercises from watching the Tyra Banks show on TV years ago. They help with strengthening your pelvic floor muscles, which leads to better health of your reproductive organs. I do them whenever I think about them, or I hear about them which is roughly every three months or so. I would advise other ladies to do them, because it has a lot of benefits for people of all genders – especially the improvement of your sexual health,” Tswai says.

Palesa Lemeke (24), from the South of Johannesburg, has also tried kegel exercises after hearing about them from her cousin and close friend.

“I’ve heard that doing kegel exercises increase sexual intercourse pleasure,” she says.

“I don’t really pay attention to how often I do them, because sometimes I do them not fully being aware that I’m doing them. I mean, it’s an exercise that doesn’t require you to leave your house or to sweat, but still has benefits.”

Health For Mzansi reader, Palesa Lemeke

What are the benefits of doing kegels?

Molebatsi explains that the pelvic floor is made up of a group of muscles and other tissues that provide anatomical support to the structures in the pelvis.

Gynaecologist, Dr Justin Molebatsi. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

“In a woman, these structures mainly include the bladder, the uterus, and the bowel,” he says. “The pelvic floor muscles do not only provide support to these structures, but also contribute in part, to their normal functioning.”

Molebatsi adds that the pelvic floor muscles can become weak and may result in a variety of disorders of pelvic floor function. “Common causes of this muscle weakness include injury due to pregnancy and childbirth, obesity, pelvic surgery, chronic cough and getting older.”

Molebatsi says that women with pelvic floor function disorders may present with a variety of symptoms including:

  • Urinary function: Feeling an urgent and frequent need to urinate, involuntary urine leakage. Leaking urine when you cough/laugh/exercise, difficulty with initiating a void or complete emptying of the bladder and recurrent urinary tract infections.
  • Pelvic organ prolapses: Feeling or seeing a bulge in the vagina or something coming out of the vagina, feeling heaviness or fullness or pain in the vagina.
  • Bowel function: Chronic constipation, inability or difficulty holding or controlling gas, involuntary leakage of stool.
  • Sexual function: Decreased Libido, *dyspareunia, altered body image resulting in embarrassment.

How to do your kegels

Molebatsi adds that kegel exercises can be performed lying down, sitting or in a standing position and entail voluntary contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles.

“A pragmatic recommendation is usually 45 pelvic muscle exercises per day, 15 at a time, 3 times a day,” he says.

Kegel exercises are simple clench-and-release exercises that you can do to make the muscles of your pelvic floor stronger. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

“To improve muscle strength, contractions should be sustained for 2 – 10 seconds, depending on the patients’ initial ability. The muscle should be contracted for up to 10 seconds each time with an equal amount of time allowed between contractions, for the muscles to recover. Improvement is gradual with increasing muscle strength and can be evident by the fourth week of training, continuing up to six months.”

Health For Mzansi: Word of the day

*Dyspareunia: According to Mayo Clinic, dyspareunia refers to the medical term for painful intercourse. The pain can be described as sharp or intense and occurs before, during or after sex.

ALSO READ: Help! My vagina bleaches my panties

Tags: Healthy lifestyleReproductive healthWomen's health
Refilwe Mekoa

Refilwe Mekoa

Related Articles

From shame to support: Break the silence on mental health
My Health

From shame to support: Break the silence on mental health

by Vateka Halile
17th July 2025
Enjoying the sun
My Health

Catch the morning sun for better health in winter

by Vateka Halile
3rd July 2025

Stories

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites
Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics
Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy
Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen
No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches
How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth
Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing
Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers
No Result
View All Result

Latest

From shame to support: Break the silence on mental health
My Health

From shame to support: Break the silence on mental health

by Vateka Halile
17th July 2025

Mental health affects everyone – rich or poor, young or old. Yet, stigma remains strong. Experts share valuable advice on...

Read moreDetails

Fight off winter bugs with this power-packed mince & veggie dish

15th July 2025
Mental health

KZN community health workers take on mental health crisis

14th July 2025
Ginger

Grow your own ginger and spice up your health

10th July 2025
Carnivore diet: Experts warn against meat-only madness

Carnivore diet: Experts warn against meat-only madness

8th July 2025
Health For Mzansi

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824

News: hello@healthformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

Awards & Impact
Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy
Copyright

Somagwaza

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites

cropped-scott-webb-yekGLpc3vro-unsplash.jpeg

Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics

Dr Sinethemba Makanya

Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy

From shame to support: Break the silence on mental health

Fight off winter bugs with this power-packed mince & veggie dish

KZN community health workers take on mental health crisis

Grow your own ginger and spice up your health

Carnivore diet: Experts warn against meat-only madness

Pill by pill: How addiction nearly destroyed a mother’s life

error: Content is protected !!
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes

© 2021 Health For Mzansi | Farmers For Change Pty (Ltd)

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers