I've always heard great things about the way that vaginal exercise balls tone and strengthen the vaginal muscles that contribute to sexual pleasure. I'm always game for increasing sexual pleasure, but I've never had any luck with my set of the perennially popular Smartballs. They seem to be just a little bit too long to fit comfortably and securely while I go about my business.

So, the Joyball single seemed like a perfect opportunity to see if a shorter, single-balled product would work better for me.

Basically, the Joyball single is a plastic ball with a weight inside which rolls around freely when you move the toy. It has a nylon cord attached for easy retrieval, and almost the whole thing is coated in silicone.

The key word here is "almost." This wasn't obvious to me from the image on my computer screen, but see that white bit on the end of the retrieval cord? It is just bare, uncoated nylon string. This was a bit disappointing to me right off the bat.

I'm not planning to share my Joyball, so I am not super concerned with perfect sterility, and the exposed bit can easily remain external. But, even the external string comes into contact with lube and vaginal secretions. And, forget about using this toy during your menstrual cycle, unless you don't mind blood stains.

Of course, even though the cord can never be sterilized, it shouldn't prevent you from sanitizing the silicone part of the toy with bleach, boiling water or a run through the dishwasher.

So, the exposed cord makes it less than ideal, but it is still an interesting product. And, the real question is, does it really increase sexual pleasure?

I've been using my Joyball semi-regularly (minus the five or so days of my period) for the past few weeks for an hour or so at a time, and I can't say that I have noticed any difference in my sexual pleasure. Of course, there are no indications on the packaging as to how long/frequently one needs to use this product to see results, so it's entirely possible that I haven't hit that mark yet.

Color me skeptical, but I am just not convinced that it ever is going to make a difference. Once in place the Joyball just seems to sit there, lodged in place by my pubic bone. I can feel it when I clench my muscles to do my Kegel exercises, but I don't have to make any effort to hold it in place, nor do I feel the internal weight moving around the way that I do with my Smartballs.

But, I will carry on with using the Joyball just in case I am wrong. After all, it's neither difficult nor uncomfortable. And, I will certainly update if I see results in the future.