| Tara Langdale
Vaginal Dilators Q&A: What do the experts have to say about dilator therapy?
When coming to terms with a challenging health condition in life, naturally you will look for the perfect solution to your problem. One of the key factors in finding a solution is good research, and this should come from authoritative sources – which generally means that it has come from (or is backed by) experts in that field.
We know that if you’ve come across vaginal dilators as a solution to your health problem, you probably have questions about them. What are vaginal dilators for? Is my problem serious enough for me to need one? How do dilators work? Who are they suitable for? In fact, these are some of the most common questions asked about vaginal dilators. Thanks to our wealth of knowledge and experience in the area of women’s health and vaginal dilators, we are able to answer these questions for you and offer you the solutions you’re looking for.
We thought it would be a great idea to complement our services by collating some valuable information straight from the mouths of clinicians and Doctors who specialize in this field. So we came up with a little Q&A backed by the experts in order to address some of the most common questions around women’s sexual health and using vaginal dilators…
Do I really have a serious health problem?
It’s surprisingly easy to convince yourself that you’re overreacting, or that certain kinds of dysfunction are common enough to be considered normal. Sometimes the opposite is true: you might feel that you’re the only one, or that there’s something inherently wrong with you.
Another issue is that the topic can feel rather sensitive, which might dissuade you from seeking help - even though you would be much happier in the long run. Perhaps the journey ahead seems difficult or never-ending, and this puts you off starting it. One way or another it is important to give your body what it needs so that you can have the peaceful life you deserve.
Here’s what Healther Jeffcoat (Doctor of Physical Therapy) has to say about this:
“Far too often women have been told by doctors and even some sex therapists that the concerns and physical problems they have are normal. In fact, they are common. Peeing on yourself, having painful intercourse, having to go to the bathroom 10+ times per day, and many other symptoms that women experience throughout their lives are far from normal. I want women to know that their problems are real and happen to many other women but should not be normalized. Common does not equal normal.”
Heather Edwards and Tracy Sher, both Physical Therapists, want you to know this:
“You are not “broken”- be kind to yourself through this process. You may have times of frustration but there is a lot of hope.”
What are vaginal dilators for?
Our entire website is dedicated to illuminating women’s health problems and educating on vaginal dilators and other solutions, so on this occasion we’ll hand the baton over to Heather Jeffcoat and Lauren Streicher for some concise insights:
“Vaginal dilators are a medical tool used to either relax and stretch the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissues to reduce pain or help desensitize hypersensitive vaginal tissue.” - Heather Jeffcoat (DPT)
“Vaginal dilators have two purposes. One is to get the vagina used to having something inside of it. Even if the size of your vagina is normal, painful sex initiates a cycle of pain–fear–muscle spasm–more pain that results in the vagina constricting at any attempt to have intercourse. Dilators are often needed after the initial cause of the pain has been eliminated to erase muscle memory that has kept your pelvic floor in protective mode. Vaginal dilators are also a way to gently and gradually stretch tissues that are tight and have lost their elasticity, which is often the case if a woman has vaginal dryness and thinning from hormonal changes, skin conditions (such as lichen sclerosis) or her vagina has been altered by radiation or surgery. Scarring and shrinkage of the vaginal opening is almost always reversible! The other important advantage to using a dilator is that you will know when you are ready for intercourse.” - Lauren Streicher (MD).
How do vaginal dilators work?
You might be wondering what vaginal dilators actually do in order to solve your pelvic health problems… perhaps you’re unsure whether vaginal dilators actually work. The below experts can put your mind at ease:
“Dilators work by desensitizing the central nervous system and by providing trigger point release (intentional pressure to points of muscular tension for the relief of pain, much like in your neck or shoulders),” says Robert Echenberg (MD).
Vuvatech patented magnetic vaginal dilators were created for this purpose. The strategically placed magnets encourage blood to flow to the troublesome areas thus accelerating healing. They desensitize painful nerves and relax tension in the muscles and tissues.
Here’s a take on vaginal dilators from Michael Krychman (MD), Marisa C. Liu (MD), and Daniel Meller (BS, MS on the Contemporary OB/GYN Journal):
“These therapeutic medical devices (vaginal dilators) can be used by patients to effectively treat pelvic pain and anxiety related to intercourse. Proper usage is thought to recondition and facilitate an adaptive body/brain connection to eliminate anticipatory anxiety and pelvic discomfort or pain that women often experience in anticipation of intercourse.”
Who needs vaginal dilators?
Vaginal dilators are the answer to a surprising number of pelvic health conditions, from dyspareunia (painful sex) to vaginismus, vulvodynia, vaginal atrophy, vaginal stenosis and more.
Jennifer Wilder (MD) and Emma McGeorge shed some more light on this:
“Dilators can also be used by patients undergoing radiation for cervical, vaginal, endometrial, or uterine cancer to help prevent the treatment from altering the length/shape of the vaginal canal.” – Jennifer Wilder (MD)
“People experiencing painful sex (dyspareunia) or vaginismus can use vaginal dilators to retrain the body to relax when presented with stimulus around the vulva and vaginal entrance (this is also known as desensitisation therapy). Dilators can help lessen pain and muscle spasms, and help people learn how to control, and relax, their pelvic floor muscles. They can also help a person warm up to sex if they’re feeling apprehensive or need to prepare their tissues and muscles,” Emma McGeorge, The Pelvic Hub
We hope you found these experts’ quotes inspiring! If you’re still unsure about whether your condition warrants using vaginal dilators, Vuvatech will be happy to help. Feel free to use our search bar to find a library of articles and information relating to your condition, or drop us a line and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.
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 Dilator Company 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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