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Pelvic physiotherapy to solve painful penetrative sex

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a woman sitting on the edge of her bed with her partner in the background

Yes. Painful penetrative sex affects 1 in 5 females, and many aren’t aware that it’s treatable. Some common conditions causing painful penetrative sex include vaginismus (inability to penetrate due to contraction of the pelvic floor muscles around the vaginal opening) and dyspareunia (pain during vaginal penetration without any underlying disease). With these conditions, you may feel like your partner’s penis hits a wall, or you may not want to be touched, or you might only be comfortable in certain sexual positions.
As a trauma-informed therapist, I approach this work slowly and safely, with compassion, steady support, and nonjudgemental openness. From my extensive training and own history of pelvic health issues, I understand the potential complexity of issues and emotions involved. I will take the time to understand your pain and determine if it relates to an event such as childbirth, menopause, trauma, or if it results from a hyperactive pelvic floor caused by habitual tension. There is no such thing as TMI (too much information) when it comes to this work. We will work toward a solution together.
Your treatment plan will be tailored to your symptoms, circumstances, and goals, and may include:
- Manual therapy to relieve pelvic floor pain or tension
- Establishing or regaining awareness of your pelvic floor
- Breathing and other tension-relieving techniques
- Vaginal dilators/trainers and exercises to stretch and release the pelvic floor muscles
- Awareness of emotions that might be causing the pelvic floor muscles to stay in protection mode