Your pelvic floor plays a crucial role in maintaining bladder control, sexual health, and core stability. But if you're one of the 1 in 3 women and up to 80% of expectant and new mothers who are affected by pelvic floor issues like stress incontinence, you'll know how hard it can be if they're not working as they're supposed to. Which is where pelvic floor exercises come in. Sometimes it's enough to simply do these exercises but the muscles can be difficult to locate and exercise so some people will need a little extra help. This is where the best pelvic floor trainers can help. We've put the TensCare Kegel Toner through its paces to see how well it works in preventing those annoying post-pregnancy leaks.
Mother&Baby/Digital Writer, Rebecca LancasterThe Tenscare Kegel Toner is designed to strengthen and then maintain your pelvic floor muscles through two distinct programmes- Tone and Train. This has the benefit of allowing you to strengthen the muscles if needed, for instance after childbirth, or just maintain their current strength. The incremental step up in stimulation allows you to fine tune the intensity to your comfort level and adjust it up and down as needed. For peace of mind, it’s equipped with a built-in safety system that resets the device to zero and flashes if there’s a loss of connection between the skin and the probe.
Pros
- Easy to use and fit into your day
- Works to train and strengthen your muscles so you can do Kegel exercises without it more easily
- Shows you what the exercises should feel like so you’re able to do them more regularly
Cons
- Can be a bit daunting at first as it’s an electrical pulse
- Instructions are a little complicated
- Takes a while to set the stimulation to the right level
| Product Dimensions | 8.5 x 6.5 x 15 cm |
| Batteries: | 2 AA batteries required |
| Weight: | 200g |
Testing the TensCare Kegel Toner
As a mum of two who’s never been great at keeping up with her pelvic floor exercises, I’ve been considering getting a pelvic floor toner for a while. I have to be careful when I sneeze, and you’d never catch me on a trampoline! But the main reason I’d like to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles is for fitness. I’m not a regular runner but I’d like to be, and it’s rare that I’ll make it home without any leaks which is a bit of a barrier when it comes to getting up and out for a run. Being able to test this has allowed me to fully put it through its paces – with the end goal being a noticeable ability to run without fear of leaks!
First impressions
From first impressions, it’s a well thought-out piece of kit, with a nice bag for storage and travelling. The instructions are slightly small and arguably not very well explained but after a few read-throughs I could see what I was supposed to be doing. It’s easy to put together – just pop the wires of the probe into the holes in the machine.
Trying it for the first time
I must admit I was a little nervous using it the first time. The thought of using an electrode is slightly off-putting compared to other pelvic floor toners and the instructions suggest finding the level that is uncomfortable and dropping it by one point (the levels go from 0-100). I wouldn’t say that I’ve been setting it to a particularly high level, certainly not an uncomfortable one, but it’s at one where I can feel it working without worrying about it being painful.
Usability
It’s easy enough to use – just make sure it’s off, insert the probe and increase the pulse level to an amount you’re comfortable with. This is where it falls down slightly – it does take a while to press the up button to the best level. I had it at anywhere between 40-68 (it explains that your comfort levels might change as your muscles improve) which means pressing the up button that many times. The pulse starts and you’ll feel it working for a few seconds before it goes into the rest phase. It then ramps up again – you’re supposed to work with it, breathing in and pulling your muscles up as the machine does and relaxing during the rest period. The full cycle lasts 20 minutes which I thought might be tricky to work into my day but I’ve started using it when I’m watching TV before bed.
Key features/USP
The Tenscare Kegel Toner claims to train your muscles and help you to identify which muscles are supposed to be working so that you can do your Kegels more effectively even without the machine. This means you can then do pelvic floor exercises more regularly, so has a double benefit. You can feel the electrical pulse stimulating your muscles, so that they contract and pull in and up which has helped me to learn how to do pelvic floor muscle exercises more effectively. I’ve been combining it with the Squeezy App to remind me to do them throughout the day as well but using the machine has made me more aware of what it should feel like when you’re doing them right.
Final verdict
I was sceptical that this would work as I’ve only been using it a few times a week for a few weeks, and I thought it might take a few months to train the muscles. But I went for a run the other day and it was brilliant – no leaks, no having to come home early. I could feel that my pelvic floor muscles were stronger and were responding better to me contracting them as I run. So, all in all, I’d say it’s a success! I’ll continue using it in train mode, and then there’s a tone mode to keep things going but if it’s had this result so early on I have high hopes.
I would potentially say that next time I’d test out the Squeezy app first as that’s cheaper and it would be interesting to see how that works in isolation, but I do think that the machine helped me to learn how to do the exercises properly so I could then use the app more effectively.
Rebecca Lancaster is a Digital Writer for Mother&Baby, drawing on ten years of parenting her two children to help others navigating their own parenting journey. As a freelance writer, she spent ten years working with leading lifestyle brands, from travel companies to food and drink start-ups, and writing everything from hotel reviews to guides to the best British cheeses. She’s particularly interested in travel and introducing her children to the excitement of visiting new places, trying different foods (less successfully) and experiencing different cultures.