Vaginal Dilators: Directions & Sizes - How to Use Dilation Products

Vaginal Dilators: Directions & Sizes - How to Use Dilation Products - Vuva Dilator Company  

If sexual activity is painful due to a pelvic pain condition or pelvic disorder, use dilators at least 5-7 days per week. Take your time and breath. If you can only do a minute our two, that’s fine. Work your way up slowly. It will help with the fear of penetration and relax muscles. These dilators only make things better. VuVa has changed thousands of lives. We are in this together.

- Tara, Founder and Vulvodynia Patient

Directions Before Using your VuVa™ Vaginal Dilators

1. Wash dilators with a mild, fragrance-free soap and warm water. Let the dilators air dry. Vanicream Bar soap is a good option to clean dilators with.

 To Get Started

2. In a private and comfortable place, lay on your back and put both knees up with your feet on the bed (no wider than your hips) or lay on your side and pull your legs up with a pillow between your knees.
3. Lubricate the smallest VuVa™ Vaginal Dilator and vagina canal opening generously with a lubricant your choice. IMPORTANT: Do not use petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline). Slippery Stuff is water based and does not cause irritation. Keep all the dilators within reach.
4. Finding the right size VuVa™ Vaginal Dilator can be tricky. If you find that you can only tolerate the tip going inside when using the smallest dilator, that’s ok and is not uncommon. However, if that is the case, it may be best that you start with the exercises (See the instructions below). Please do not force the dilator inside.
5. Using gentle pressure, insert the smaller round end of the smallest dilator into your vagina. Make sure that the dilator shaft is inserted as deeply as is comfortable for you. Do not insert entire dilator -- leave the larger, round, flat end outside of vaginal opening.
6. If there’s no discomfort (you can put the little one inside, squeeze and let go around it on the inside like you’re holding back gas and pee and take it out without any pain or irritation – not even a little bit), you need to use the next size bigger.
7. You’re looking for minimal pain when you put the dilator in the vagina (pain level not more than a 1-2/10, with 0/10 being no pain and 10/10 the worst pain ever) —the type that you might just describe as “annoying” or “uncomfortable.” Moderate pain (pain levels 4-6/10) is too much, and severe pain (pain levels 7-10) should be avoided.
8. Once you’ve found the proper size, please use your dilator 5-20 minutes twice/day. When you can actively insert and remove the dilator as well as contract and relax around it with no discomfort, move up to the next size.

IMPORTANT - WOMEN: Do not walk around with dilator inserted. Do not use dilators during sexual intercourse. Do not sleep with dilator inserted.

9. Wash the vaginal dilators after use with mild, fragrance-free soap and warm water. Let them air dry.

Use a VuVa™ Vaginal Dilator comparable to your partners size 20 minutes before intercourse to relax tight muscles and bring blood flow to the area. You have now created a relaxed environment for penetration. 

Pre-Dilating Exercises and Dilating Instructions by Dr. Dee Hartman PT, DPT

 Here is a video of exercises: https://www.vuvatech.com/pages/five-activities-to-use-prior-to-vaginal-penetration

       Those who have discomfort trying to put anything into their vaginas often have anxiety and tension with the mere thought of being touched, especially “down there”. That distress can create a vicious cycle of pain and holding that can impact your entire body. If the very thought of using dilators causes you that same worry, please know you’re not alone.

       That’s why we’ve included a series of pre-dilating exercises that we recommend before you begin to use the VuVa™ Vaginal Dilators. The activities were created to help you decrease pain at the opening of your vagina before anything goes inside. Once you learn the series of activities, your VuVa™ Vaginal Dilators will be used after the pre-dilating pelvic floor exercises. Those same pre-dilating exercises and dilators can then help before, during, or after anything goes inside (like a tampon, the doctor’s speculum, or a penis (or toy) with sex). Or, you can start with the dilators on their own.  The choice is up to you. Start slow, everyday needs to be a positive day dilating.

        The exercises are best done as soon as you wake up and just before going to sleep. Once you’re familiar with them, they shouldn’t take more than 5-6 minutes to do. If you continue to have ongoing pain, please seek out a qualified women’s health physical therapist to help you as these exercises don’t take place of physical therapy.

       The following instructions are excerpted from the book, The Pleasure Prescription: A Surprising Approach to Healing Sexual Pain. For more information, questions, or clarification, please go to www.pleasuremovement.com

1. Breathe

Deep, lateral diaphragmic breathing

       We breathe automatically and without thinking about it. You may have been told to breathe deeply to relax or to alleviate pain, but if you don’t practice it, it won’t come naturally. We suggest returning to this prescription between future prescriptions as needed.

1. Lie down in comfortable spot where you won’t be disturbed; we suggest your bed. If you’re more comfortable with your knees up and feet on your bed, that works. Or, if you’d like to have support for your knees and hips, you can pull your knees up and then let then drop down and rest on pillows on either side. You’ll be staying on your back throughout the exercises. A pillow under your head is ok for all the exercises except bridging.
2. Put your hands on your sides, down low over your ribs. Take a deep breath that pushes your ribs out on both sides. You should feel

3. your hands move out as your ribs expand. You might also feel your lower back push down toward whatever surface is beneath you. This may be a familiar to you if you’ve ever been taught how to do diaphragmatic breathing.
4. Only your ribs should move; your chest or belly should not move upward. This is not a yoga-style deep belly breath. The goal is to use your ribs and diaphragm to draw air in.
5. Now breathe in more and more air, pulling it deep into your lower ribs. You should feel more relaxed as your heart begins to beat more slowly. As you do the breathing, visualize your air going all the way down to the opening of your vagina.
6. Once you are comfortable here, breathe in deeply and hold it to the count of five. Then exhale, breathing all the air out. Repeat at least five times.

After you get the process down, use the breathing pattern any time you feel stress or tension anywhere in your body as it can really make a difference.

2. Stretch

       If you have pain at the opening of the vagina and/or pain with sex, these stretches may help decrease tension that could be contributing to your pain. The hip muscles are located close to the pelvic floor muscles. Tightness in these muscles can cause or be caused by increased tension anywhere around the pelvis. The lower belly stretch is an easy stretch that can release tension throughout the pelvis. If you have an IUD, please do this gently, putting your fingertips just below the belly button. As you lift and stretch, you are releasing tension on a series of ligaments that support the urethra, bladder, and pelvic floor muscles, encouraging them to relax.

Hip Stretches

1. Pull your right knee across your belly and up toward your left shoulder with both hands. Hold it there for a count of twenty. Don’t bounce; just hold. Now, pull your right knee up toward the right shoulder and hold it for twenty counts. Then pull your right knee up and out to the side toward your right arm pit. Hold as before.
2. Repeat the three stretch positions with your left knee—going to your right shoulder, left shoulder, and left armpit—holding each for a count of twenty.
3. Alternate the reps above with each knee, repeating three times on each side.

Lower Belly Stretch

1. Put your hands on your lower belly. Place both thumbs just above your belly button with your hands flat on your stomach. Let your index fingers come together and touch while the others rest in place just above the bone (pubic bone). Think of making a heart with your thumbs and index fingers on your belly.
2. Now, using all your fingertips, scoop down and in (toward your back) and then, with your fingers still deep, lift up on your belly (toward your head). Think of trying to get under your belly button to lift it up and out. Be gentle—this should not cause any discomfort!
3. Scoop and hold for a count of ten. Repeat three times.

3. Mobilize

These two active exercises will help to further release tension in the pelvic floor muscles (the muscles inside your pelvis that can cause pain). Lifting into a bridge tightens muscles on your backside. Coming back down relaxes those muscles which encourages the muscles inside the pelvis to do the same. You may have heard of pelvic floor muscle exercises referred to as “Kegel exercises.” Being able to contract and relax inside is important—in fact, the letting go is the most important part of the exercise. Learning to properly control the muscles inside is key to retraining your brain. Adding the VuVa™ Vaginal Dilators completes that process. If you are having trouble doing the pelvic floor exercises or they are causing more pain, go back and repeat the breathing and stretching exercises before trying again. The pelvic floor exercises should not, we repeat, SHOULD NOT increase pain or tension.

Bridging

1. If you’re using a pillow, please put it to the side to protect your neck.
2. Bring both knees up and put your feet flat on the bed. Keep both feet in line with your hips and directly below your knees.
3. Squeeze your buttocks and slowly lift your hips up toward the ceiling until your body is up high enough that your knees, hips, and shoulders are in a straight line.
4. Hold for a count of ten. Repeat three times.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

1. Squeeze and hold on the inside, from the front of your pelvis all the way to the back, like you are trying to hold back pee and gas.
2. Then, let go completely. You should be able to feel both the squeeze, up and in, as well as the letting go, which is down and out. Do this several times to know what it feels like. Letting go of tight muscles isn’t always easy, especially if they’ve been overly tight for a long time. By actively squeezing your muscles, you encourage the nervous system to better release them. Letting go all the way is the end goal!
3. Once you can feel the squeeze and letting go, squeeze in and hold to the count of five before letting go.
4. Next, tighten the muscles in a series of five small squeezes. You may have heard this called “elevator Kegels.” Start with a little squeeze and then, without letting go, squeeze a little bit more, then a little bit more, a bit more, and one last little squeeze. By the last squeeze, all the muscles should be nearly all the way contracted. Once you get here, let go all the way. Feel the pelvic floor muscles relax.
5. Repeat the previous two steps, alternating the squeeze and hold with the five quick squeezes. Try this several times, feeling the muscles inside begin to relax more each time you let go.
6. Eventually, try to work up to doing the pelvic floor muscle exercise routine for ten minutes a day, splitting it between five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night.
7. Follow the directions below to determine which VuVa™ Vaginal Dilator to use first.
8. After determining which size is best to start with, lubricate and insert it into your vagina prior to the pelvic floor exercises. Follow the cleaning instructions after completing your dilating session. VuVa™ Vaginal Dilators are to be used only during your dilating session and NOT with any of the other exercises described here.