Vaginal weightlifting is a type of genital exercise encompassing strength training using the contraction of pelvic floor muscles to lift an object inserted in the vagina.
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Equipment
Vaginal weightlifting may utilise specialised equipment such as ben wa balls, weighted vaginal cones, yoni eggs or jade eggs. Vaginal cones, developed by Plevnik et al., have existed as a pelvic floor re-education method for about a quarter of a century. Ben wa balls were used for a long time in ancient Chinese practice. Jade eggs are oval objects available in three different sizes and the practitioner starts with the large egg, moving towards the small with increasing expertise in muscle control and strength. After Gwyneth Paltrow recommended jade eggs on her lifestyle website GOOP, gynecologists criticised jade eggs as being porous and unsanitary. Because jade is porous, it can harbor bacteria that may cause dangerous infections. While Gwyneth Paltrow claims jade eggs were once used by Chinese queens to be prepared for the emperors, they are now predominantly being marketed by and for young white women. Shiva Rose, an avid jade egg user who also claims knowledge of the Chinese history behind the egg, warns buyers to not purchase them in China as the ingredients in the egg are unknown. However, the "ingredients" in jade from both China and Oceania are the same, Nephrite, and all nephrite is porous and therefore unsafe for internal use.
Claimed benefits
Proponents of vaginal weightlifting claim that the exercises yield better results than standard PFME (pelvic floor muscle exercises) such as Kegels in pelvic floor strengthening due to introduction of added resistance. However, a 2013 Cochrane Collaboration study reached the result that pelvic floor exercises practiced with vaginal cones proved no significant advantages over Kegel exercises in treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Sex therapists and gynecologists such as Laura Berman and Amy Tuteur assert that practice of vaginal weightlifting and standard PFME should not be considered mutually exclusive. Gwyneth Paltrow's website claims the jade egg improves sex. While there has been no research conducted on the efficacy of jade eggs specifically, one 2010 study found that stronger pelvic floor muscles are correlated with stronger orgasms. Proponents of the jade egg claim that it is able to harness the power of crystal healing while also creating a legal like practice. Various testimonials by jade egg users have claimed that it is able to increase chi, orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, hormone balance and feminine energy.
Dangers
Jen Gunter, a California OB/GYN, who is an expert in infectious diseases and pelvic floor dysfunction, discusses the dangers that can occur for women who use the jade egg. Due to the porous nature of the rock different forms of bacteria can get trapped in all of the little nooks and crannies of the rock. This can increase a woman's likelihood of contracting vaginosis or toxic shock syndrome. Both the Goop website and Shiva Rose recommend that women wear these jade eggs for extended periods of time. Gunter strongly advises against this as vaginal muscles are not meant to be contracted for that long. Wearing the egg for a long time could cause pelvic floor dysfunction.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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