{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T23:00:45Z","timestamp":1791241245341,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,27]],"date-time":"2024-12-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735257600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"VICTOR BABES UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY TIMI\u0218OARA"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Pelvic floor dysfunction and sexual health issues are common postpartum due to weakened pelvic muscles, significantly impacting women\u2019s quality of life (QoL). Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is a widely used approach to address these issues. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two rehabilitation methods\u2014vibrating vaginal cones (VCG) and PFMT exercises (CG)\u2014in improving pelvic floor muscle strength, reducing dyspareunia, and enhancing sexual function in postpartum women. Materials and Methods: This 1-year retrospective observational analysis evaluated 57 postpartum women presenting with perineal muscle relaxation and sexual dysfunction. Participants were assessed 3 months postpartum (T0) and after 3 months of therapy (T1) at the Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Clinic of Santa Chiara Hospital, Pisa. Outcomes were measured using the pubococcygeus (PC) test for pelvic floor strength and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) for sexual function. Results: The results revealed significant improvements in pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual function across both groups. While both interventions effectively reduced dyspareunia, the VCG group demonstrated superior outcomes, with 96.67% of participants reporting no pain compared to 80.95% in the CG. FSFI scores improved significantly in both groups, with greater enhancements in arousal, desire, and pain domains observed in the VCG group (p &lt; 0.01). Vaginal cone therapy also resulted in slightly higher gains in overall pelvic floor strength. Conclusions: These findings suggest that vibrating vaginal cones may be a promising option for postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation, with potential benefits for improving sexual satisfaction and reducing pain.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61010023","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,27]],"date-time":"2024-12-27T09:13:32Z","timestamp":1735290812000},"page":"23","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Pelvic Floor Muscle Training vs. Vaginal Vibration Cone Therapy for Postpartum Dyspareunia and Vaginal Laxity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"given":"Federico","family":"Villani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Multidisciplinary Doctoral School, \u201cVasile Goldis\u201d Western University of Arad, 310414 Arad, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Izabella","family":"Petre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9814-9561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Florina","family":"Buleu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stela","family":"Iurciuc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luciana","family":"Marc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Molecular Research in Nephrology and Vascular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u0219\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Nephrology, \u201cVictor Babe\u0219\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adrian","family":"Apostol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Molecular Research in Nephrology and Vascular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u0219\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, \u201cVictor Babe\u0219\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Valentini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, UOC Obstetrics and Gynecology University I, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elisabetta","family":"Donati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, UOC Obstetrics and Gynecology University I, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tommaso","family":"Simoncini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular and Critical Area Pathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ion","family":"Petre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Functional Sciences, Medical Informatics and Biostatistics Discipline, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7158-2579","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristian","family":"Furau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cVasile Goldis\u201d Western University of Arad, 310414 Arad, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emergency County Clinical Hospital of Arad, 310023 Arad, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"265","article-title":"Vaginal Childbirth and Pelvic Floor Disorders","volume":"9","author":"Memon","year":"2013","journal-title":"Womens 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