Effectiveness of Kegel exercise and lubricant gel

 A recent study in European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology aimed to compare the effectiveness of these two methods on sexual function in menopausal women.

The study was a randomized trial conducted on 150 menopausal women. Eligible women were randomly assigned to two interventions (Kegel exercise and lubricating gel) and control groups. The Kegel exercise group received training on the exercise method; the lubricant gel group was given the lubricating gel and taught how it should be used, while the control group received no intervention. The interventions continued for 12 weeks, and sexual function was assessed at four times: baseline, one month, two months, and three-months follow-up.

Chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, repeated measures, analysis of covariance, and logistic regression analyses were applied.

No significant difference was found between groups regarding demographic and obstetrics variables. After adjusting for the baseline sexual function score, covariate analysis showed a significant improvement in sexual function in Kegel and gel groups as compared to the control group.

Similarly, within-group comparison using repeated measures analysis showed that sexual function in both Kegel and gel groups improved during the study follow-up periods while women in the control group showed no changes in their sexual function.

Finally, logistic regression analysis indicated a significantly higher odds ratio for better sexual function in both Kegel and gel groups. However, the odds of better sexual function for the Kegel group was 4.19, was higher than the gel group which was 3.7.

Researchers concluded that both Kegel exercise and gel were effectively improved sexual function in menopausal women. However, the findings indicated that sexual function was more likely to be improved after using Kegel exercise than using lubricant gel.