That’s not to say that everyone who has carried a baby and / or given birth will struggle, but for the majority of post-partum females there will be a change in the pelvic floor muscle compared to pre-pregnancy which can sometimes have life-long implications. This can range from minor inconveniences such as a difference in strength/tone which can cause back ache, to more life changing issues such as prolapse, incontinence or an inability to use internal menstrual products effectively.
There is no doubt that pregnancy changes the female body forever, but the lack of routine aftercare for new mothers in the UK is in stark contrast to other countries who put women’s health more at the forefront.
Kegel8 aims to change this, by providing women with access to technology such as their Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner and Kegel8 Biofeedback Pelvic Trainer. I have been testing these two devices for the last few months in order to provide an honest review on their efficacy and usability. Read on to find out my thoughts.
The Kegel8 Biofeedback Pelvic Trainer Review:
Similar to the Elvie Pelvic Floor Trainer, and the Perifit Pelvic Floor Exerciser, The Kegel8 is a device used internally which measures the strength of your pelvic floor squeezes and provides feedback on your progress. It also guides you through exercises using visual feedback on the screen for you to follow along with, varying speed and length of a contraction and a rest period.
Use the Kegel8 Biofeedback device to help with:
- All Urinary Incontinence
- Light Bladder Weakness
- Weak pelvic floor
- Tightening & improving intimate sensation
- New mums - post natal
The difference between the Kegel8 Biofeedback trainer and other devices:
The Kegel8 probe is only inflated once it is placed internally, so you are not attempting to insert a probe at its maximum size. It is also much lighter than devices which contain the battery and technology within the probe. The kegel8 probe attaches to an external device which holds the battery pack. This may be an advantage for females struggling with pelvic floor strength who may find it difficult to keep a heavier probe in place. The kegel8 provides all of its feedback on the external device and does not require an app on your phone or ipad in order to work.
My experience of using the Kegel8 Feedback Trainer:
During my test period I had access to a lady called Amanda Savage - a specialist pelvic, obstetric and gynaecological Physiotherapist, who was available to answer any queries or troubleshooting issues I may have along the way. This was invaluable and gave me the reassurance I needed that I was using the devices properly. She was also able to point me in the direction of the updated instruction manuals which made it much easier to work out how to use the device properly and read the feedback scores. I highly recommend that you use their website to check you have the most up to date manual to work from before starting your own programme. She was also able to give me some suggestions on usage which I will outline below.
I was asked to complete a 12 week course before writing this review so that I was able to effectively test the devices and notice any differences in my own pelvic floor. In reality, it has been longer than 12 weeks as it isn't advised to use the device during menstruation, and my periods often last 1.5-2 weeks (sob) so it took a lot of time away from the test period.
Initially, I started to use the Pelvic Biofeedback Trainer in an upright position and found this almost impossible and so quickly switched to a reclining position instead, which enabled me to utilise the device easily and effectively. I did contact Amanda for her thoughts on this and to check that the changes I had made would still work properly. Here is what she said:
"With all devices I recommend getting to grips (ha ha) with things in lying or reclining first before you try to stand up. Especially if pelvic floor weakness is the problem! Do you think you might have a little bit of organ descent? Could your cervix be sitting a bit lower in the vagina by the end of the day and then you will find there isn't enough room for the trainer probe? You might have already found this sometimes with placing tampons and/or sex? It's a very common thing, nothing to worry about - but you would then want to lie down with your feet up (on the wall or edge of sofa) for 5 mins first, to encourage everything to fall back out the way. Another trick is also to aim for the back wall of the vagina so that you position the probe under the cervix (same trick for tampons!)"
After taking Amanda's advice and using the trainer in the morning rather than the afternoon/evening I found I was much more successful. I also decided to compare my scores before and after using the Electronic Pelvic Toner (more info below) and found that after using the Pelvic Toner device I was successfully able to use the Biofeedback Trainer in an upright position without any problems!
My second query was relating to using the device in test mode. When I use the bio feedback trainer in test mode, the end score seems to show me two different numbers alternating at the end, one on the left and then on the right and I was unsure what these two numbers meant.
Amanda explained that, "this is alternating between your results for the first task and second tasks".
I have long suspected that my biggest weakness with my pelvic floor is actually an over-tightness due to scar tissue and inability to relax which exacerbates any prolapse symptoms I have. I had a traumatic birth experience with my first child, which resulted in a 3B tear. When giving birth to my second child I had a 3/4th degree tear in the same place. For this reason I had a C-section with my third child. All of my babies were big and I suffered from polyhydramnios which meant my bump was HUGE and the extra weight of the fluid alongside baby was a huge toll on my pelvic floor. My abdominal muscles and the connective tissue were permanently damaged and remain separated. I have a confirmed prolapse, but it isn't bad enough to need surgery and is managed with ongoing exercise, making me a good candidate to test these devices. I found that the Biofeedback Device really helped when used in conjunction with the Pelvic Toning Device and the increase in my score over time confirmed the efficacy of use.
The Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner Review:
Use the Kegel8 Electronic Pelvic Toner device to help with:
- All urinary Incontinence & bowel incontinence, light leaks and night time trips.
- Light bladder weakness, sensitive bladder, overactive bladder, accidental leaks.
- Prolapse and helping to manage pelvic organ prolapse symptoms.
- Strengthening and rebuilding weak pelvic floor muscles, improving nerve sensation & pelvic circulation.
- Tightening & improving vaginal walls and pelvic muscles improving intimate sensation for you and your partner.
- New mums, to stop leaks and strengthen after either caesarean or vaginal delivery.
- Pelvic pain relief.
- Post Op recovery after pelvic surgery, hysterectomy etc. to prevent prolapse and speed up recovery.
My experience of using the Kegel8 Pelvic Toner:
Similar to the Biofeedback device, I tested this for the 12 week programme but actually used it for longer due to prolonged monthly periods, and also due to the fact that as a busy mum - it was really tricky to find an appropriate time to use the device without interruption (more on this later). I also found that the online instructions were much more up to date and easier to follow than the booklets I received with my device, so I would recommend anyone using the devices to check online first.
One thing I didn't realise until reading the up to date guide was that a Kegel8 Conductivity Gel is recommended for use with this device. I wasn't aware of this, and I didn't receive any with the device. I still found that the device worked perfectly fine without any conductivity gel, however I can't compare the usage with and without as I have only used it without the gel.
The device sends an electric pulse which is transferred to your muscles via the metal strips on either side of the probe. It was unclear from the instruction booklet images whether the probe should be inserted convex or concave - I tried both and didn't notice a difference. The importance is in the metal strips being in contact on the left and the right. As I suspected (due to tearing on one side during labour) I had more sensation on one side than the other. The advice here is to use the device at the right level for your most sensitive side.
After successfully completing the P01 Sensation Test 1 which is a work and rest exercise, where the pelvic area contracts for 8 seconds and then rests for 15 seconds (this continues for the 30 minute programme), I attempted to progress onto sensation test 2 which is a 60 minute programme. I found that even at a low level, this sensation test was too stimulating for me and I could even feel the electric pulse down the back of one of my legs ( I was in sitting position).
As I strongly suspected that my issues arose from tightness in the pelvic floor, I decided to move on to Programme P20 which is a pelvic floor relaxation programme which lasts for 20 minutes. I found this to be the most beneficial programme for my needs, as I don't have any problems in engaging my pelvic floor but I do struggle to relax it properly.
I could feel an increase in strength in my pelvic area from very early on using this device, and the scored from the biofeedback trainer confirmed that the pelvic toner was having a positive effect.
In conclusion:
In conclusion, these two devices utilised together are really effective at making a difference to the strength and tone of the pelvic floor. My struggles came in finding the time to actually use them! Most mums find that they can't even pee on their own, so finding between 20-60 mins to complete the pelvic toner programmes was the hardest part of this test period. Obviously this is an intimate area and so you can't really just sit downstairs with a probe inserted if there are other people around. It does require dedicated time, in private, to use the devices properly. This may actually be easier when your baby is small. I currently have a 2 year old charging around the place so this added to my difficulty in finding time. Despite that, I noticed such a huge difference even in the lesser time that I had.
If I had to choose just one device I would go for the Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner as this offers technology and support that can't be achieved just through kegel exercises alone. Having a device capable of neuromuscular stimulation to not only help to tone and strengthen the muscles, but also to help relax them was invaluable and I really do wish this was available to all women post-partum because the results were so obvious - even without the confirmation from the biofeedback trainer results. Having said that, I do feel that using these two devices side by side is the perfect match in aiding tone of the muscles and teaching you to use them effectively yourself too.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these devices to anyone, and I am definitely going to keep these in my health and wellbeing toolkit moving forward.
