If you’ve started your pelvic floor training with a pelvic floor trainer, you’ve probably already noticed positive effects on your muscle tone.
The pelvic floor is indeed an integral part of the pelvic area, a group of muscles essential for supporting organs and maintaining continence. But as with any muscle strengthening program, it’s natural to wonder about the possible side effects and to know the key points to focus on to perform your exercises effectively.
Pelvic floor training is the first-line treatment recommended for pelvic floor weakness, especially after childbirth, during menopause, or when returning to sports. It aims to prevent or correct functional issues such as urinary leakage or prolapse (organ descent), helping to avoid surgery in the most severe cases.
What are the side effects of pelvic floor training with a pelvic floor trainer?
There are several methods to carry out pelvic floor training. The two most commonly used approaches are manual training with a qualified healthcare professional or training using a pelvic floor trainer. The latter can be done either in a medical office or at home.
Manual training involves a vaginal examination. This helps identify the area to contract and provides resistance to strengthen specific muscles. With gentle pressure from your physiotherapist or midwife, you’ll learn which muscle to contract and train. It’s also possible to use an intravaginal pelvic floor trainer to perform exercises and improve pelvic floor muscle tone.
Side effects of pelvic floor trainers with electrical stimulation
Electrical stimulation pelvic floor trainers send a mild electrical current to stimulate muscle fibers in the pelvic floor. A possible side effect is experiencing pain or discomfort. Since the intensity of the current can be adjusted, simply lower it until the sensation disappears.
However, if you feel pain in your pelvic floor, lower abdomen, or notice bleeding while using your electrical stimulation pelvic floor trainer, stop using it and consult your healthcare professional.
Electrical stimulation training is particularly useful when there is a lack of sensation in the pelvic floor. However, you’ll soon need to move on to active pelvic floor training to truly regain muscle tone. Indeed, electrical stimulation is a passive training method.
It only helps you locate and become aware of your pelvic floor. This method doesn’t teach you how to develop a contraction reflex to use in daily situations (like when you run, sneeze, or laugh).
Pelvic floor trainers Pelvic floor trainers for home use currently reimbursed by social security are all based on this technology. To strengthen your pelvic floor long-term, you need to engage in active training, which you can do thanks to biofeedback-based pelvic floor recovery.
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Side effects of biofeedback pelvic floor trainers
In a medical office, your healthcare professional may ask you to train with a pelvic floor trainer. This is usually a wired device.
Connected to the professional’s machine, it either stimulates the pelvic floor through electrostimulation or enables active pelvic floor training using biofeedback. Some pelvic floor trainers used in medical settings combine both technologies for a complementary approach to pelvic floor recovery.
Exercises standing or in motion are challenging due to the wired nature of these devices. Depending on your needs, your professional will guide you toward one model or another. The size can be important in some cases because a side effect, for example in vaginal hypertonicity, may be pain during insertion of the device. Using a lubricant can help in such cases.
In any case, when you perform voluntary contraction exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor, one of the main benefits is maintaining long-term results. Provided, of course, that you do the exercises regularly and respect your own pace.
What are the side effects of pelvic floor recovery with a home pelvic floor trainer?
To actively train and maintain your pelvic floor at home, there are biofeedback pelvic floor trainers designed for direct home use. One of the main advantages is that they let you do your pelvic floor exercises in complete privacy, without having to travel, and at your own pace!
Let’s look together at the main side effects you might experience if you regularly do your pelvic floor recovery with a pelvic floor trainer.
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Improved pelvic floor tone
One of the first effects you’ll likely notice is an improvement in your pelvic floor tone. Results can appear very quickly, even after the first sessions. Regular active recovery will help you maintain a functional and competent pelvic floor.
Pelvic floor trainers let you see your progress in real time and track your improvement over time. The perfect solution to stay motivated in the long run. Because there’s no secret: training your pelvic floor muscles is just like training any other muscle. You need to train it regularly.
Better intimate relationships and more intense orgasms!
A stronger pelvic floor also means more pleasure and enhanced sensations during intimacy. Mastering your pelvic floor is important during sexual activity, with or without penetration. A toned pelvic floor provides better clitoral compression and increases blood flow to that area.
Once contracted, it’s during the release that an orgasm can occur. Knowing how to relax your pelvic floor is the key to longer, repeated, and more intense orgasms. This is a wonderful side effect of pelvic floor training with a pelvic floor trainer that you definitely don’t want to miss out on!
Reduced urinary leakage
In cases of stress urinary incontinence, strengthening your pelvic floor is the recommended first-line treatment. Indeed, one of the benefits of a strong and functional pelvic floor is preventing urinary leaks.
Pelvic floor training resolves most cases of incontinence, as long as you maintain consistency in your exercises. Being able to voluntarily contract your pelvic floor is also essential during physical exertion.
When lifting heavy loads or sneezing, always remember to contract your pelvic floor to avoid urine leaks.
Improved quality of life
Other known benefits include better control of your body and increased self-confidence. As you can see, pelvic floor training is important throughout your life.
But with busy schedules, limited access to healthcare, and forgetting home exercises, staying consistent isn’t always easy. Now, there are solutions to do your pelvic floor training at home thanks to biofeedback technology.
These devices let you be active and train your pelvic floor easily. For example, the Emy smart pelvic floor trainer.
The Emy pelvic floor trainer
Emy is a medical biofeedback device for home use that has undergone a clinical trial. Here are the results after 3 months of regular training:
- 98% of users experienced an improvement in quality of life,
- 87% of participants saw a reduction in frequency and severity of urinary symptoms,
- 96% of users reported an improvement in their condition and their state
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These excellent figures confirm the effectiveness and usefulness of such a medical device for continuing your postpartum pelvic floor recovery at home.
How does the Emy smart pelvic floor trainer work?
The Emy solution lets you see your effort in real time on a mobile app connected to the trainer. When you contract, you press on sensors with your pelvic floor.
You make a character jump, launch a rocket... all thanks to the strength of your pelvic floor muscles! The fun exercises are based on therapeutic protocols used by healthcare professionals in clinics, allowing you to perform your training with care.
Is training your pelvic floor with a device a good idea?
Training your pelvic floor with a device is definitely a good idea! Like any other muscle group in your body, the pelvic floor is a set of muscles that you need to take care of throughout your life.
Taking care of your health is always a good idea. And if there are effective pelvic floor trainers that are simple to use and fun, why not take advantage of them?
Prevention above all!
To prevent pelvic floor problems (urinary leaks, organ prolapse…), using a pelvic floor trainer is a smart approach.
Regularly toning and strengthening your pelvic floor, keeping it in mind and protecting it daily will help you anticipate and avoid discomfort from these issues in the future.
Certain life stages are particularly suited to start strengthening exercises:
- after childbirth;
- before resuming physical activity;
- at the time of menopause.
For some women, just one session of 5 to 15 minutes per week is enough to build a solid foundation and prevent urinary leaks. At-home trainers are an excellent tool to help you establish this routine and maintain the benefits long term.
In any case, remember that the most effective pelvic floor training method is the one that works best for you.
Medical contraindications for pelvic floor trainers
Indeed, using a pelvic floor trainer may not be suitable for all women, especially those experiencing penetration-related issues (such as vaginismus or dyspareunia).
Inserting an electrostimulation or biofeedback pelvic floor trainer can be painful and unsuitable. You should seek advice from your physiotherapist or midwife.
Contraindications for using an electrostimulation device
According to the French National Authority for Health, the use of electrostimulation trainers is not recommended for postpartum pelvic floor recovery. Indeed, nerve damage is frequently observed in women after Childbirth. Electrical currents could delay nerve regeneration.
Contraindications for using a biofeedback pelvic floor trainer
One of the prerequisites for using a biofeedback pelvic floor trainer independently at home is good control of pelvic floor contraction.
If you don’t have control over your pelvic floor contraction, you risk performing a reverse action (pushing down instead of contracting). Repeating this movement may create excessive pressure, which over time can be dangerous and harmful to your pelvic floor.
Another common mistake when pelvic floor contraction is uncontrolled is to engage other muscles simultaneously with the pelvic floor (such as the abdominals, glutes, etc.). You won’t be training your pelvic floor in isolation, and the beneficial effects of muscle strengthening won’t be felt.
If you have any doubts and to avoid unwanted or side effects from using a pelvic floor trainer, there’s only one recommendation: make an appointment with a healthcare professional! They can advise and guide you in the best way when choosing your pelvic floor trainer.
Learn more about the Emy pelvic floor trainer
FAQ – Pelvic Floor Training: Side Effects
What is the difference between the side effects of pelvic floor electrostimulation and biofeedback?
Pelvic floor training can involve different methods, including pelvic floor electrostimulation and biofeedback, which affect the pelvic floor muscles in different ways.
Electrostimulation uses an electrostimulator connected to a pelvic floor trainer to trigger involuntary muscle contractions. It may cause mild side effects such as tingling, prickling sensations, intense muscle contractions, or temporary muscle fatigue.
Biofeedback, on the other hand, does not send any electrical current. It helps you visualize and voluntarily control the contraction of your pelvic floor muscles, with side effects being much rarer.
👉 Electrostimulation acts directly on the muscle, while biofeedback promotes active learning, often better tolerated by sensitive individuals.
Can muscle fatigue or spasms be felt after a pelvic floor training session?
Yes, it is possible to experience muscle fatigue, mild spasms, or a pulling sensation after a pelvic floor training session, especially during the first sessions.
These sensations correspond to the normal response of a muscle that was previously inactive or lightly used. They may occur after unusual exertion or using an electrostimulation program that is too intense.
These effects are generally temporary. However, persistent pain or significant discomfort should prompt adjusting the method or consulting a healthcare professional.
Is pelvic floor training safe during pregnancy or after a vaginal delivery?
Pelvic floor training is highly recommended after a vaginal delivery. It helps strengthen the pelvic floor, reduce urinary leaks, and prevent organ prolapse.
It usually starts about 7 weeks after birth, with a medical prescription, and under the supervision of a midwife or physiotherapist. Health insurance typically covers pelvic floor training.
During pregnancy, some gentle forms of pelvic floor training may be offered, but pelvic floor electrostimulation is usually contraindicated unless specifically prescribed by a medical professional.
Can pelvic floor training affect vaginal or sexual sensitivity?
Yes, changes in vaginal or sexual sensitivity can be experienced after pelvic floor training, most often in a positive way.
By improving muscle contraction, blood circulation, and pelvic floor control, training can enhance sensations during sexual activity.
Less commonly, increased sensitivity or temporary discomfort may occur, especially if the pelvic floor is hypertonic. In such cases, it is important to adapt the technique used.
How can I tell if the pelvic floor training method chosen is suitable for my personal situation?
The most suitable pelvic floor training method depends on the condition of your pelvic floor, the symptoms present (urinary incontinence, pain, feeling of heaviness) and personal context.
An assessment by a healthcare professional (midwife, physiotherapist, doctor, or gynecologist) helps you choose the most effective solution: manual exercises, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, or an additional device.
👉 Effective pelvic floor training is always personalized, progressive, and respectful of your body’s pace.
