I’m entering that odd time called menopause and have been told that doing Kegel exercises will help strengthen my uterus so that I don’t have “leakage” in my older age. So, while faithfully doing said exercises, I wondered if MEN have problems as they get older and if they can strengthen their own appendages. Can they? Or is this just another case of urethra envy on my part? –Judy Wright, Atlanta
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Kegel exercises were popularized in the 1940s and ’50s by California gynecologist Arnold Kegel as a way of strengthening the pelvic muscles, specifically the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle. Ever make yourself stop urinating before you were done? The PC muscle is what you used to do it. The primary purpose of Kegel exercises was and is control of urinary incontinence in older women. But a side benefit–and the main reason younger people have heard of Kegel–is that the exercises tauten the muscles of the vagina, thereby increasing the enjoyment of both (or however many) participants during sexual intercourse. Women are said to experience easier and more intense orgasms, and some climax, or climax during intercourse, for the first time in their lives.
Increased distance is something straight men don’t give much thought to, but gay men are a different story. “Since we gay men constantly have sex on the brain, you’re probably thinking to yourself, ‘How do I build up my prostate muscle for a better more dramatic cum scene that will impress all my friends?’” writes Alex del Rosario, MD. Kegel exercises are the answer. (Dr. del Rosario, who brings new meaning to the phrase “bedside manner,” divagates on this topic at length at www.terranovamed.com/ArticlePages/Prostate1.html.) The payoff for straight men may not be as great, but it couldn’t hurt.
Two more tidbits: (1) K-Y jelly was originally sold just to medical types and wasn’t offered to consumers until 1981, which may surprise those who think it’s always been standard boudoir equipment. (2) Several “line extensions” of the product have been introduced, e.g., a liquid version. A couple years ago an on-line wag thought up another one: KY2K jelly, which allows you to fit four digits where only two would go before. And you wonder why I love the Internet.
