How many times a day should i dilate?

[Yaaraud]

Hello,

hope all is well, first i wanna thank you for this website it has helped me alot.

I went to about 4 doctors and they all told me to just relax, which didnt help me ..
after reading and researching i decided to use dilators on my own, i have 5 dilators and i use water based lubricant with them,
my problem is i cant reach to the 5th dilator.. i get to the 4th dilator then i get my period so i stop dilating, and when i finish my period i can’t insert the forth or the third sometimes so i start again with the second and it takes time to reach to the 4th again and then i get my period.. so the question is do you know why after. my period it’s hard to start with the 4th? why do i have to go back to the 2nd or the 3rd?
and my second question is it okay to dilate twice a day everyday or is it too much? because am afraid it might cause irritation or something

Thanks in advance xx

[recessivegenequeen]

Hi Yaaraud – welcome to the forums! And thanks for providing this level of detail, it’s super helpful.

I dilated for several months as treatment for my vaginismus and in my experience, I only needed to dilate once a day, but it really helped to do it EVERY day without taking any days off. I recommend actually continuing to dilate during your period – it might seem “gross” to some people to do so, but the added lubrication often actually makes it easier to insert the dilators, and as you have seen, taking several days off often means you have to work back up to the larger sizes once you do return to them. Continuing to dilate through your period will mean you’re way more likely to be able to get to the fifth dilator.

Also, what brand of lubricant are you using? Water-based lubes often dry out quickly so I liked to use a hybrid water/silicone lube (these don’t damage silicone-based toys or dilators. The Sliquid brand is especially good:
https://www.amazon.com/Sliquid-Naturals-Silk-Hybrid-Lubricant-255ml/dp/B01AVJ013A/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=liquid+silk&qid=1647204468&sr=8-3

You likely won’t always have to dilate every day, but when you’re first getting started it really helps lock in those gradual gains and help you move to bigger sizes!