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Valsalva
maneuver
The Valsalva
maneuver is an exercise used to assist in the emptying of the
bladder and sometimes, within the context of sexual therapy, to assist
in the treatment of the common male sexual problem of
premature
or rapid ejaculation.
It is a relatively simple
technique, which in both conditions involves holding the breath while
bearing down as if to have a bowel movement. In cases of the inability
to fully empty the bladder, known as flaccid bladder, the Valsalva
maneuver is initiated at the end of urination. While seated on the
toilet, the subject, feeling he has finished urinating, holds his
breath, leans forward slightly, and bears down as if to have a bowel
movement. This procedure is helpful in emptying the bladder more
completely. The Valsalva maneuver is one of several methods commonly
prescribed for people with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that effects
sensory and motor control that often includes flaccid bladder among its
complications.
In the treatment of the
sexual problem of rapid or premature ejaculation the maneuver is applied
differently. While a broader goal of couples' sexual therapy for any
disorder is to increase communication and tolerance for intimacy between
partners, a specific goal in the treatment of rapid ejaculation is the
male increasing his sense of ejaculatory control. The Valsalva maneuver
can be used in the context of therapy along with the Seman's
start-stop
technique to delay the ejaculatory response. After a man has learned
to talk openly about his anxieties and fears of sexual performance with
his partner and has practiced the start-stop technique, he might be
introduced to a version of the Valsalva maneuver to assist him in
attaining a greater sense of ejaculatory control. When he feels he is
about to ejaculate as he approaches the point of "no return",
known as ejaculatory
inevitability , he holds his breath and bears down as if trying to
have a bowel movement. Some therapists have found that their patients
report the maneuver has helped them to achieve better ejaculatory
control.
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Sex
