Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is not intended to provide or replace medical advice. This is my own personal story. So this is going to be a personal one. I nearly didn't write this. But I'm going to take one for the team here and fully disclose. Ladies...I thought I was doomed to the threat of a sneeze since the birth of my first child. Fast forward 9 years, and I had 3 more kids. Sneezing is something of a delicate art form to avoid a small urine leak. I don't always succeed so I have had to wear thin daily liners for nearly decade. I hate them. But I hate the embarrassment of the leak and the need to change clothes afterwards. Apparently, the U.S. gynecology training does not include anything more than "do your kegels...Do 10,000 kegels...do them while you are sitting at a stoplight...While loading your laundry...while watching television...disrupt whatever you are doing just to squeeze yourself uncomfortably...over and over...without tiring...every. single. day.....for the rest of your life...and you "might" not sneeze and pee..." Yeah. Maybe some people can make that work. After about 5 though...I'm either distracted or just kind of uncomfortably tired of trying. I forget about it for days...until I sneeze. I don't know how I found it, but I stumbled on electronic Kegel stimulators. Basically, it "forces" the body to gently do a Kegel without you having to consciously manipulate your body. I nearly pulled the trigger and bought a "Yarlap" even though it was nearly $300. However, something kept getting my attention. The way the device worked sounded suspiciously like it was nothing more than a Tens Unit with a special wand and a cheap hand held interface. I actually spent some time researching this. I was surprised that these "tens unit style kegel trainers" were something commonly prescribed in Europe for people with my problem. You can look it up yourself. There are actually quite a few peer reviewed articles. It showed amazing success rates and I kind of felt "dumb" that I didn't know about this. All this time, I could have been so much more "comfortable" in my clothing and all I needed to spend was $30. Sheesh. My suspicions were correct. They are nothing more than Tens units attachments. I already own a Tens unit - this one - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O7CM12W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's a HealthmateForever unit and it cost less than $25. For $30 (since I already owned the Tens unit), this was worth a shot since it was a tenth the cost of the others. This device fits the Tens unit perfectly. Apparently, this device is made to fit nearly "all" Tens units. If you look at it, it's nearly identical to the "Yarlap" insert. Even the connection wires are identical. Basically, Yarlap found a way to market to the U.S. what everyone in Europe has been doing and uncharge it by 80% (device + tens unit). Hey, I applaud their ingenuity. Apparently, they have specific "programming". I don't know what to make of that now that I've done this for a few weeks. I don't know what "programming" you need. You just need the "squeeze" to happen. How to use: Finding this out was a little challenging. -Basically, you will need some water based lubricant. Insert it just inside so that the metal sides are facing either hip. This isn't gong to go far inside like a tampon. -Turn on the device and select "Knead". At the lowest setting, I barely felt anything. Surprisingly, you need a higher setting for this to work than you do if you are trying to use the standard pads on your back for muscle stem. - You want to slowly raise the setting one bar at a time. - When you feel the kegel happen, it should probably be just strong enough that you also "pucker" in the...ahem...anterior...area. You'll know if you go one level past comfort. It doesn't "zap". It's just more of a squeeze than you want. Dial it back 1, and you are good to go. - On the knead setting, it will stimulate the kegel contraction and hold it for about 4 seconds, release for about 3-4 seconds, and repeat. I think it may help if you actually "help" the kegel along and squeezing every once in a while with the contraction - kind of like pushing during a labor contraction....(which is kind of how we got here...) It's not necessary. I only started doing that after about 9-10 uses. I can tell though that my squeeze is so much stronger now. - Drink your coffee, read the news, catch up on a favorite show. Try not to move around much. The insert is hard so it's not comfortable to move a lot. When you are resting (usually I'm reclining on pillows in bed), it will do its work. It's silent too. - Do this for about 20 minutes. You will be surprised, but the 20 minutes will go by quickly and you won't notice that you just completed your first 170 kegels. If you forget about it, like I strangely do, you will probably get to 200 easy. That's about 195 more than I've ever done on any day in my entire life. Is this a "stimulator"? Eh...no. Not really. You aren't going to get a "thrill" from this any more than you do when you complete a kegel manually. Sorry ladies. Having said that...it does have some "ancillary' positives not related to relieving urinary incontinence. It seems to make other situations more...let's just say more. Hubby noticed a serious change during intimacy after about 5 uses. That's kind of awesome! After about 5 uses (about 3x per week), I noticed I probably didn't need a panty liner anymore. After about 9, I quit wearing them as a test. I haven't worn a liner in 3 weeks. I haven't had a single incident. Not. One. I feel more like "me" again. I can run, jump, laugh, sneeze and live with very little threat of a problem. I don't know that I'm cured now and for always. I can't say if I'll never have an accident. If I do, I'll get this device out and do a few sessions. I don't even think we need to do this for a long window of time. I love my kids so much and even if this wasn't a fixable situation, they are truly worth it. The fact that this "is" fixable...Like I said.. I feel dumb. I mentioned this at my OB/GYN appointment. She hadn't heard of it although she recommended the kegel balls which require manual kegel training. I love my doctor. But she missed the mark on not knowing about this. For $30...ladies...seriously...It's one of those "quality of life" changers.