What began as tears of frustration and a strawberry-glazed doughnut has blossomed into the sweetest of sexual revolutions, heralded by one woman and felt by masses. We are thrilled to announce that we are now stocking the Ohnut: a feel-good penetrative accessory that is designed to vanquish the pain factor in penetrative sex!

From humble beginnings

Exasperated with ‘an avoidant medical system, grossly erotic websites that boasted "deeper penetration pillows", and a wilted sense of self’, Ohnut’s founder, Emily Sauer, felt alone in her experience of pain during penetrative, vaginal sex. In an imaginative attempt to rediscover pleasure and comfort in such sex, Sauer introduced a doughnut to the shaft about to say hello to her vagina. This proved revolutionary for Sauer. She got together with a team of medical professionals, engineers and PHD students to find a practical alternative. Together, they conceived the Ohnut.

So how does the Ohnut work?

The Ohnut is comprised of four separate, silicone rings. Each ring is super stretchy and designed to imitate the texture of skin. Users add some lube to the penetrating dildo/penis and then begin with adding three rings onto it. From here, you can then add the other ring onto the shaft or lose one or two of them, dependant on what feels most appropriate for the vagina-bearing body who is being penetrated.

The Ohnut rings are therefore designed to imitate the vaginal canal in feeling and so effectively elongate it. This results in a deeper sensation for the penetrator and the penetratee should be able to relax into play without feeling pain…clever, hey?

Is it any good?

Since the moment that Sauer reached out online for help and began her Kickstarter for the Ohnut, the isolation she felt in experiencing deep pelvic pain faded away. This was because of the overwhelming reaction from people experiencing all kinds of conditions involving similar experiences. Through her own experience and a vast amount of research, she found that such conditions can take up to 6-7 years to diagnose with a disappointingly limited amount of alleviating options. Yet, 75% of women asked reported having experienced deep pelvic pain at some points in their lvies. This could be from anything from vulvodynia to bladder help include complications or post-natal prolapses. On their official site the Ohnut claims to help people experiencing a whole spectrum of dyspareunia including endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, interstitial cystitis, fibroids, pelvic inflammation, pelvic floor muscle spasm (vaginismus), menopause (genitourinary syndrome of menopause (or gsm), cancer treatments (including chemotherapy and radiation therapy), chronic pain (vulvodynia), post-surgical vaginal swelling, postpartum pain / sex post baby & mullerian agenesis.

It’s safe to say the Kickstarter paid off and within a year of launching the Ohnut had spread globally by word of mouth of medical professionals and patients. One person who had been experiencing hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction wrote an article for Allure recalling her experience with the Ohnut.

‘While I can’t speak for everyone, the answer for me is a resounding, “Hell yes.” The first time I used Ohnut was with my partner, a cisgender man, and it was the first time in months (in fact, maybe a year) that I was able to completely let go and be totally in the moment instead of having to remind myself to relax my body and my pelvic floor muscles so it wouldn't hurt.

I was able to let go and just enjoy sex with no pain. I cried afterward. It was a good cry — one that let out months of pent-up frustration at my body for not doing me a solid and just going back to how it used to be.’

The Sum Up

The Ohnut is a fast, easy and body-safe solution for those experiencing pain during penetrative sex who want to enjoy it. It is the ultimate customisation of basic human pleasure and supports the sexual fulfilment of both partners. If you would like to try it but are unsure of whether it is suitable for your body then your first point of call should be to ask your doctor or therapist about it. Otherwise, our team of friendly Sh! sexperts will be more than happy to discuss it with you in confidence!