| Caroline Knight
Can I use my fingers to dilate? Six reasons to use vaginal dilators instead | VuVa Dilator Company
Are dilators better than fingers? Yes, and the benefits of vaginal dilators are well documented by women’s health professionals of all kinds, from gynecologists to pelvic floor physical therapists. Women who use them often have good things to say about dilators too!
Vaginal dilators have a range of added benefits that are either difficult or impossible to acquire through using your fingers. In fact, we know of 5 main reasons dilators are better than fingers:
- Control/steadiness
Vaginal dilators give you greater control over penetration. You will hold the dilator using your fingers, which of course gives you greater reach (more length) and a better range of angles to penetrate from. They are designed to be easy to grip, meaning that insertion can be steady and easy to control. Let’s be realistic: reaching between your legs and up inside yourself requires getting into awkward and somewhat uncomfortable positions, and is likely to result in postural discomfort or tired fingers or arms before long.
- Consistency of vaginal expansion
Since a dilator is firm and won’t bend, you can guarantee that your vaginal muscles will respond to your dilator the same way every time – depending on the angle at which you insert it, of course. If you are feeling around with your fingers, you may be moving them differently each time or bending them, especially if they get tired. Your fingers may not easily be able to reach the depths that vaginal dilators are designed to reach.
- Dilators come in different sizes
Your fingers can only do so much when it comes to expanding your birth canal. Even if you insert two fingers, they’ll be wider in one direction than they will be in the other. Vaginal dilators have a perfectly even circumference, and they come in a range of progressively larger sizes. At some point it should be easier for you to accommodate the largest dilator available, meaning that your dilator therapy has been a success and you can have comfortable penetrative intercourse.
If you’re not sure which size of dilator you need, check out our guide to choosing the right size dilators.
- Dilators are made from different materials
If your goal is simply desensitization, a finger may not feel too different to a basic, small dilator – but not all dilators are made the same, and some are designed with materials that boost the desensitization process dramatically. For example, VuvaTech patented magnetic vaginal dilators are set with Neodymium magnets, which draw bloodflow into the area, thus calming sensitive tissues and nerve endings.
For women with vulvodynia, vaginismus or any other vaginal pain condition, these dilators are the best possible solution. Magnetic therapy has been shown to heal pain conditions of all kinds, so magnetic dilators bring that extra something to the table!
- Treatment continuity is more likely
In a clinical study published in 2020 on the difference between finger dilation and vaginal dilator therapy, the following conclusion was drawn: “There was a significant difference between two groups in terms of patient drop-out numbers; the DTG [dilator therapy] was more successful in continuing treatment than the FTG [finger dilation]. This research revealed that DTG is more successful in treatment continuity and show more improvement in sexual functions.”
If you think about it, when you have invested in a gym membership you’re more likely to work out than if you are relying on the sporadic inspiration to work out at home. This can be said of so many things in life, and the same rule probably applies to vaginal dilators: if you have invested in the proper tools for healing, you’re more likely to use them consistently and gain the long-term benefits.
So to answer the question “can I use my fingers to dilate?” succinctly: the answer is yes you can, but dilators are superior for a number of reasons that are likely to make dilating a lot easier and speed up your healing process at the same time. If you would like some advice on vaginal dilators, feel free to get in touch… and don’t forget to check out our library of articles on all things women’s health and dilator therapy.
Resources
Pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32052704/
Vaginismusmd.com/vaginismus-finger-dilation/
Vuvatech.com/blogs/vuvagirlblog/treating-vaginismus-with-vaginal-dilators
Vuvatech.com/blogs/care/what-is-the-best-vaginal-dilator-for-you-a-guide
Do you need to order vaginal dilators so you can start your pelvic floor therapy process? Made in the USA. Visit www.vuvatech.com
VuVa Helpful Links:
How do Neodymium Vaginal Dilators work?
7 Reasons for a Tight Vagina and How to Loosen
How to Relax Vaginal Muscles, Vaginismus & Sex
Vaginal Stretching - Keeping in Shape with Dilators
Do Dilators Really Work? Yes, and They can Improve Your Sex Life!
Shop for VuVa Vaginal Dilators
Tara Langdale Schmidt is the inventor of the VuVa Dilator Company. She has pelvic floor dysfunction herself and wanted to create a dilator set that is made in America that women can trust. VuVatech has been in business since 2014 and has helped over 50,000 women all over the globe. She patented the Neodymium Vaginal Dilator, that is clinically proven to help with blood flow and nerve pain.
Podcast Episode 22: Tara Langdale-Schmidt
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