Vaginal Dilator Therapy:-
Find the most suitable time and a quiet place where you can be alone. Try to pick a space where you feel relaxed the most. You must relax your pelvic floor muscles and take some deep breaths before you begin.
Make sure to start by getting into a comfortable position:
Firstly, lie down on your back with your feet flat on the bed or couch, and your knees slightly bent. Now spread your legs gently, so they’re shoulder-width apart. If you find this uncomfortable or difficult, you can place pillows under your knees for support. Ensure that you can easily touch the opening of your vagina with your hand. Use a hand mirror to see your vaginal opening if you would like to. Find your pelvic floor muscles (muscles that support your reproductive organs) and do some basic warm-up exercises.
The Vaginal Dilator - Process
Inserting the vaginal dilator is quite simple. It certainly wouldn’t cause any pain if you do it slowly, smoothly and gently.
Begin with the smallest size dilator in your vaginal dilator kit. Buy lubes and apply some of it to the dilator and the opening of your vagina. Preferably use a water-based lubricant such as Astroglide® or K-Y®. This will help the dilator to slide in more smoothly into your vagina. Don’t use petroleum jelly (Vaseline®), because it could cause irritation. Avoid using oil and silicone-based lubricants because they don’t wash off the dilator easily and quickly.
Follow these steps to insert the dilator into your vagina:
Using gentle and mild pressure, slowly insert the round end of the dilator inside your vagina. Always make sure to insert it in the direction of your spine (back) straight or at a slightly downward angle, like you would insert a tampon.
Continue to insert the dilator slowly and gently until you feel slight discomfort or muscle tension, then stop do not insert it further. The dilator should just feel snug but not painful. Never use force at any point and you must stop if you feel any pain. If you don’t feel any pressure or discomfort when you insert it this indicates that you might need to use a larger sized dilator.
It is now very important to do a set of warm-up exercises for your pelvic floor muscles. These exercises will not only help you relax your pelvic floor muscles but also to insert the dilator a little further gradually.
If it’s still extremely uncomfortable and difficult to insert the dilator after doing some warm up exercises, try taking in some deep breaths relax with some deep breathing. Then, refocus again on relaxing your pelvic floor muscles and once again try to gently insert the dilator a little further.
You need not to worry if you can’t insert the dilator completely. Over time, gradually you would be able to get the dilator in a little further. However after several attempts, if you’re still not able to insert the dilator, you must consult your healthcare provider.
Once the dilator is perfectly in place, follow the below-mentioned steps for 5 to 10 minutes. You may add more lubricant if you need to during this process.
Gently without causing any discomfort push the dilator in and out to stretch the length of your vagina.
Gently also rotate the dilator without causing any discomfort in wide circles to stretch the width of your vagina. Repeat this process at the back, middle, and opening of your vagina.
Some women find it extremely helpful to work with more than one size dilator. For example, some women might use a larger dilator at the opening of their vagina and a slightly smaller dilator deeper inside the vagina, until they’re confident that they are able to use the next size dilator fully.
When you’re finished with the above-mentioned steps, remove the dilator gently.
Wash your dilator well with hot, soapy water. Then lastly dry it with a clean towel or paper towel. You may want to store it as instructed in your vaginal dilator kit.
Just after the vaginal dilator therapy
You may experience a small amount of vaginal bleeding while using the dilator or after you have finished using it. This is undoubtedly normal. You may want to wear a panty liner after the dilator therapy. If you have too much of bleeding, such as bleeding that almost soaks up a sanitary napkin (pad), or if bleeding continues for longer than a day you should consult with your healthcare provider. Also, should you have any questions, clarifications or problems ensure that you consult with your healthcare provider.
Increasing Your Dilator Size Gradually
The primary goal of the vaginal dilator therapy is to increase the size of your dilators slowly and gradually. When you are able to insert one size of a dilator completely into your vagina without any discomfort, then you must start using the next size up. The mission is to insert the largest size dilator without any discomfort and as smoothly as possible.
When to Practice Vaginal Dilator Therapy
You should ideally practice dilator therapy 3-4 times per week, but you mustn’t do it 2 or more days in a row. Doing dilator therapy many days in a row would cause pain and lead to irritation as well. When you aren’t using the vaginal dilator, you should continue to try to do some warm-up exercises to make your pelvic floor muscles stronger and healthier.
