Device could bring relief to millions suffering from pelvic floor disorders

An innovative pelvic floor device has been developed by University of Porto, Portugal, researchers that could provide relief for millions of women suffering from pelvic floor disorders.

Pelvic floor muscles are vital for supporting pelvic structures such as the bladder, bladder neck and urethra, and in the mechanism of the urethral sphincter, explains the Porto university developers.

Many factors associated with age can impact these muscles and alter their function, such as menopause, vaginal delivery, episiotomy, and high-impact exercise, for example.

This can lead to issues such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction and more.

Current pelvic floor exercise devices have limitations, often needing certain parts – such as springs placed in the vaginal canal – to be changed, and also do not have functionality for adding extra weights.

How does the new device work?

According to the Health News research team, the cylinder-shaped device is inserted into the vaginal canal to induce the contraction of the main pelvic floor muscle, called levator ani.

The device, for which a patent application has been filed, includes a monitor that helps to determine the best exercise and weights to be used.

According to the patent application, this newly developed device comprises a set of weights, with variable loads from 5 to 40g, to preferably be used in 5g increments, which can be connected individually or together.

The patent application explains: ” In recent years, clinical treatment, in particular pelvic floor muscle exercising, has proved effective in developing pelvic floor muscle strength.

“Several devices are known for this purpose, including for instance, EDUCATOR® – Pelvic Floor Exercise Indicator, from NEEN-Performance Health, UK. This device consists of an element to be inserted into the vagina, coupled to an external indicator rod.

“This device is shaped forward so that it rests on the vagina and remains there during use. When contracting the pelvic floor, the deep layer of the pelvic floor muscles should shorten and lift. This movement lifts the intravaginal element by moving the indicator rod downward toward the coccyx, indicating a correct contraction.

“One of the main disadvantages of EDUCATOR® is that the movement of the indicator rod always develops in favour of gravity. In addition, its plastic components, such as the flexible external indicator rod, do not make it possible to add any external weight that would impose resistance of different magnitudes on the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles.

“Additionally, it is not possible to quantify the displacement of said external indicator rod.”

The application explains that the device over comes the limitation of other available devices as the resistance applied through the device increases the cephalic and anterior displacement of the urethra, vagina and rectum, which promotes the closure of the structures,  improving incontinence of urine and bowel movements and preventing accidental gas passing.

The application reads: “This invention aims to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of said techniques, proposing for that purpose, a device to exercise the pelvic floor muscles, which allows the addition of external weights, the monitoring and quantification of the resistance imposed on the muscles to exercise, rendering its removal during the exercise session unnecessary.”