Have you ever experienced pain during sex? If so, you are not alone. According to a Huffington Post report from a National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior study, 30% of all women ages 18 to 50 experienced painful sexual intercourse during their last sexual encounter.
What Causes Painful Sex?
Painful sex can be attributed to variety of possible reasons. Some women experience pain after giving natural birth due to scar tissue that forms after tearing or cutting of the vaginal walls.
Other women develop a condition of vaginal muscle atrophy or atrophic vaginitis According to Medical News Today, up to 75% of women will experience this problem after menopause. The conditions involves vaginal dryness, irritation, painful sex, and changes to the appearance of the vagina.
If you are experiencing painful sex, there are many other potential causes of pain that can be assessed with proper treatment. Ideally, the best treatment option is a combination of medical treatment, physical therapy, and sex therapy.
Medical Treatment
Initially, it is helpful to get assessed by your primary care physician, gynecologist, or urologist. One challenge women face when seeking medical treatment is working with a doctor who is not familiar with the available options for painful sex.It is important to seek a medical professional who specializes in the area of sex. Doctors who know about this field are more likely to collaborate with other potential resources and offer more specific medications that are designed to help in this area.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
In addition to medical treatment, many women seek the help of a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor work. You can find these specialists at the Women’s Health website.
Physical therapists help women in several ways. First, they spend more time assessing the entire area including potential problems with the hips, groin, and urinary tract. Second, they offer specific exercises women can use to strengthen their vaginal muscles both in and out of sessions. Third, they teach internal stretching exercises that help sex become less painful over time.
Sex Therapy
As a final option, sex therapy can be used to help incorporate partners into treatment. Some women have difficulty transitioning exercises from the physical therapy room to the sexual relationship.
In sex therapy, clients are taught how to make exercises a more fun part of their sexual experience. It also helps women transition treatment from a solo endeavor (she is fixing her sexual problem) to a partnership (the couple is developing a better sex life).
Sex therapists can also help women who are burdened by psychological anxiety as a result of painful sex. Women report feelings of anxiety about potential pain that could happen, even when the pain is not present. If you are experiencing pain during sex, please don’t wait to get help.
The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.
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