Why does sex hurt?

3 out of 4 women report having painful sex. Unfortunately, you may find yourself in the majority here too.

Sex should be pleasurable, intimate, and painless. It also serves as a basic human need! So why isn’t it working out for a good majority of women? 

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8 reasons why some women experience painful intercourse:

  1. Low estrogen levels after birth that normally support lubrication
  2. Muscle and nerve recovery from birth that may be strained or injured such as is the case with perineal tears
  3. Tension in the tissues working to protect you from injury post-birth
  4. Trauma from a previous sexual encounter or infection
  5. Endometriosis
  6. Ovarian cysts
  7. Dermatitis
  8. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Simply put, painful sex is the result of a host of pelvic floor conditions that may be occurring or have occurred. In either case, you do not deserve to feel pain during an act that your body was designed to enjoy. 

It is vital when experiencing painful sex to know:

  • You should not be ashamed
  • This is your body communicating to you about a condition needing treatment
  • You are not alone

Pelvic floor physical therapists will meet with you to understand your medical history, provide biofeedback, may perform manual soft-tissue therapy  and oftentimes provide an evaluation of your pelvic floor. It is important to understand why your body is responding to intercourse in a painful way, and form a treatment plan to start enjoying this act and relieve you from pain. Again: sex should be pain free and pleasurable. 

What you can do now:

  1. Lubricate. If you are experiencing dryness, lubricate with a natural and perfume-free product. 
  2. Breathe. Try to guide the breathe into the lower abdomen and pelvic floor to promote relaxation. This will allow your pelvic floor to relax and strengthen as it should during intercourse.
  3. Stretch. Intercourse can expose tightness in and around the pelvic region. Some stretches we love are happy baby, figure-four pose, and child’s pose. Additionally, warming up to intercourse with a warm bath and taking one following can help ease pain and provide restoration. 

We’d love to help you with your issues regarding painful sex, or any pelvic health issue you may have!  Click here to see us. 

 

I help women and children live their life to the fullest, without worrying about pelvic floor pain, peeing while sneezing, or difficulty pooping. When not at the office, I like to play board games with my kids, binge-watch Netflix with hubby, and travel outside of the AZ heat.

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