Pelvic Pain & Painful Sex
PERSISTENT PELVIC PAIN and PAINFUL SEX can be extremely debilitating for Women but is often downplayed by family members, friends and health professionals. Getting a diagnosis can be difficult and sometimes no clear reason is found, leaving Women feeling frustrated and unheard. Pain is complex and there are often multiple different factors contributing to someone's pain experience. A multi-disciplinary (help from a variety of different health practitioners) approach is the best way to manage persistent pelvic pain.
Getting an assessment by your GP is always a good place to start as there are many different conditions which may contribute towards Persistent Pelvic Pain:
- Endometriosis
- Adenomyosis
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Vestibulodynia
- Bladder Pain Syndrome (sometimes called Interstitial Cystitis – IC)
- Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) (sometimes called Vaginal Atrophy)
Painful Pelvic Floor Muscles can also be one piece of the puzzle of Persistent Pelvic Pain. Pelvic Health Physiotherapists can help you with this by:
- Assessing the different parts of the pelvic floor to identify problematic areas
- Teaching you how to do pelvic floor relaxation exercises, which may include using biofeedback
- Teaching you how to do stretching/ mobility exercises targeted at the pelvic floor muscles and nerves
- Providing education on things that may be contributing towards your pain and providing strategies to manage your pain
THERE ARE SOME TOOLS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET WHICH CAN HELP TO MANAGE YOUR PERSISTENT PELVIC PAIN
- Pelvic Floor Educator - if you can tolerate inserting this device, it can be a great way to learn how to relax your pelvic floor muscles
- Ohnut - used during sex to control the depth of penetration and therefore reduce pain associated with deeper positions
- Intimate Rose Pelvic Wand - to assist with gentle stretching of the hard-to-reach pelvic floor muscles
- Femmax Vaginal Dilators - to assist with regaining confidence and retraining the vaginal tissues to tolerate penetration
- Olive & Bee - a 100% natural intimate cream to sooth vaginal dryness/ irritation
- YES Vaginal Moisturiser - a chemical-free long lasting vaginal moisturiser designed to moisturise and sooth dry and sensitive vaginal tissues