Managing chronic pain and its impact on one’s quality of life can be difficult, especially when it impacts our sex lives. With the rise of education in pelvic floor physiotherapy, those who suffer from pain during intercourse no longer have to suffer in silence. Our pelvic floor physiotherapists at Motion Works Physiotherapy Orleans can help you find pleasure instead of pain in your sex life again.
Pelvic pain can impact not just our daily lives when it comes to our bathroom habits, or pregnancy, but for many it can impact how we experience pleasure in our lives.
If you have experienced:
- Pain while inserting a tampon.
- Pain in certain sexual positions, at the start, or throughout sex.
- Fearing and avoiding sex.
- Being told to just relax and use more lube.
THEN you may suffer from:
- Dyspareunia - pain with intercourse.
- Provoked Vestibulodynia (PVD) - pain in the vulva vestibule when touched or attempted penetration.
- Vaginismus - involuntary contraction of pelvic muscles during attempted penetration.
Why do I experience pelvic floor pain during intercourse?
There are various reasons why you may be experiencing pelvic floor pain during intercourse. Your pelvic floor muscles are attached from your pubic bone (front low pelvis bone), your coccyx (tailbone), and your ischial tuberosities (sitz bones). If you are experiencing any issues with tightness, or if you have previous scarring, these could be the source of your problem. There are various reasons for these issues to occur, including physical and non-physical causes.
Some physical causes for pelvic pain may include: history of frequent urinary tract or yeast infections, tearing, complications during childbirth, and/or a history of pelvic surgery.
Some non-physical causes for pelvic pain may include: trauma or stress from a sexual experience, and fear or anxiety of the associated pain. All of which usually lead to tightening of the pelvic floor muscles and increased pain when participating in intercourse.
What can I expect at my initial consultation?
During your initial assessment your pelvic floor physiotherapist will complete a full history to get as much necessary information regarding your pain as they can. This may include very specific and personal questions, such as:
- Where is it painful during sex?
- Can you describe your pain?
- When is it painful (penetration, post-ejaculation, etc.)?
- Do you notice a change in your pain, based on sexual positions? Explain.
- Has your ability to orgasm changed?
- Are you taking any medications? Which ones?
- Have you had any dryness issues (lubrication)?
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Additionally, the initial assessment, and follow up sessions, will often include an internal examination, manual therapy, internal manual therapy, and release techniques. However, it is always up to the client’s comfort and discretion whether the internal exam is performed. The internal exam does not involve any tools such as a speculum, as you may have experienced during gynaecological exams. They are done within our closed-door private rooms that are designed to be comforting for you, the client. Your pelvic floor therapist will discuss your comfort, and educate you on the various aspects of the treatment to prioritise your comfort throughout your sessions.
With the information gathered from your initial assessment, your pelvic floor physiotherapist will create a customized treatment plan for you. They will educate you on why you experience pelvic pain during intercourse, and how the treatment will help you recover from this pain. Additionally, they may give you exercises including posture tips and guidance with breathing exercises to do outside of your sessions. All of these treatments are natural and lead towards a sustainable and maintainable fix to this problem!
Our goal is to help you get to a place where you no longer experience pain during intercourse, and as a result reduce any anxiety you may feel and replace it with excitement and pleasure.