How long will I have to dilate?

[Ericacire]

I’ve seen that durning the treatment process I should probably dilate everyday. Is that true? Also after I reach the largest size will I still have to dilate daily?

[Jennifer Dembo, LCSW]

Hi Ericacire,

Thanks so much for your question!

Consistency in dilation is your best friend when your vaginal muscles are too tight to optimally function. This is because you’re using dilators to gently stretch those muscles and maintain their flexibility (it’s like going to yoga to loosen up your tense hamstrings). Based upon that premise, there are several variables that should be considered when committing to a dilation program (your diagnosis, the degree to which you experience your symptoms, guidance from your care provider, your comfort preferences, etc.).

Most programs will advise that you dilate daily; but length of time, size, etc will depend upon you and your particular situation. If you are interested in learning about our approach to diagnosis and treatment, please reach out to us for a free 10-minute consult. Take good care and we wish you our best!

[recessivegenequeen]

Hi Ericacire – I wanted to add on to what Jennifer said and say that dilating every day while you are still working toward penetration is a huge factor in eventual success for most people. It really helps your muscles understand that they need to stretch out and get used to something being inserted, and it also helps you to make gradual progress each day toward larger dilator sizes (and eventually penises). I found that when I skipped days back when I was dilating it was harder to get started and easier to either not make progress or need to move to smaller dilators.

The good thing is that once you become more comfortable with intercourse and penetration, you can start to ease off your dilation schedule. I dilated every day until I was able to achieve intercourse and then continued that pattern for several more weeks, then switched more toward just dilating before intercourse or a few times a week if I wasn’t going to see my partner for awhile, and after a few months I didn’t need to dilate at all. I’m 3.5 years out of my botox procedure at Maze and haven’t dilated in years now. You’d be amazed how normal your sex life can become once you overcome the initial hurdle of treatment.