Kegel balls, sometimes called Ben-wa balls, pleasure balls, or kegel exercisers, are duos or trios of small weighted balls that are inserted into the vagina. Some vibrate, others do not. They are designed to assist with kegel exercises by forcing the vaginal muscles to contract around them to keep them in place. Satisfyer sent me a set of their V Balls kegel balls to try out.

Do Kegel Balls Work? What the Science Says

There are a lot of claims around kegel balls. The benefits of performing regular kegel exercises are well known: they strengthen the pelvic floor, which has potential benefits including reducing urinary incontinence and reducing the risk of prolapse. Some also claim they can boost sexual pleasure and increase the regularity and intensity of orgasm:

“The potential benefits of doing Kegel exercises on a regular basis include: greater ease in achieving orgasm, increased intensity of orgasm, increased lubrication, heightened control over sensation during penetration, and protection against urinary incontinence and bladder prolapse.” (Bartlik et al, 2010)

But do kegel balls like Satisfyer’s V Balls help compared to performing kegel exercises without them? The evidence is less conclusive.

One 2013 study examined the effect of “vaginal spheres” (kegel exercisers) in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and found a statistically significant difference in the improvement shown by women who used the spheres vs those who performed kegel exercises without. A different study, however, used “weighted vaginal cones” to treat urinary incontinence, and found that “there was little evidence of difference for a subjective cure between cones and pelvic floor muscle training” (Herbison & Dean, 2013.)

Anecdotally, balls may help by making the user more likely to actually do their exercises, rather than making the exercises more effective by themselves. They don’t do much automatically and still require user effort if you’re looking to use them for pelvic floor training specifically.

What About Kegel Balls as a Sex Toy?

Outside of their potential pelvic health benefits, kegel balls are most commonly sold and used as sex toys for the purpose of pleasure.

If you’re someone who enjoys vaginal penetration, walking or moving around with a toy like the Satisfyer V Balls inside you can be intensely pleasurable.

Walking or moving around with inside you can feel amazing if you’re a person who enjoys vaginal penetration. I find that on the occasions I’ve worn kegel balls for any length of time, they can keep me at a heightened level of arousal the entire time. Wearing kegel balls can also be fun as part of a power exchange game, if you’re into that.

Basically, treat kegel balls as a sex toy and not as a medical device, and you’re more likely to have fun!

Satisfyer V Balls

The Satisfyer V Balls come in sets of three peanut-shaped duos with a looped handle for easy retrieval. Each is in a different colour (blue, pink, and red) and they are all made of body-safe silicone. They look like this:

Each of the two balls has a weight inside, and each set gets progressively heavier. They weigh in at 60g, 75.6g, and 91.6g respectively. The increasing weight provides different levels of stimulation and intensity to choose from. If you’re using kegel balls as an addition to pelvic floor-strengthening exercises, a higher weight can also increase resistance and therefore effectiveness.

Measuring just over an inch in diameter and with a total insertable length of 6.9cm, the Satisfyer V Balls offer an enjoyable sense of fullness without being uncomfortably large. Each ball has some gentle ridges, which may provide additional internal stimulation to some users.

The balls themselves, and the joins between them, feel well-made and sturdy. However, the handle loops are pretty thin and flimsy. They stretch when pulled, making them ineffective for helping to remove the balls from the vagina. Though mine have held out so far, I don’t see them lasting very long with regular usr.

With that said, these sets are inexpensive and, since you get three pairs of balls in different weights, pretty good value. If you’re new to using kegel balls or want to experiment with different weights and intensities, they’re not a bad place to start. You can buy them from The Pleasure Garden for £39.99.

Thanks to Satisfyer for sending me the V Balls to review. All views are, as always, my own. Purchasing through the affiliate links in this post helps to support my work.