I thought about writing a cutesy title for this post, but let’s get real. Female sexual disfunction is a serious, wide-spread problem and it’s time we start talking about it. I was going to add a disclaimer to skip this post if it makes you uncomfortable but I’m passionate about bringing awareness to this incredibly painful medical condition. If you’re uncomfortable, you should probably read on anyway my friend.
Chances are, if you have exposure to any sort of advertising, you have heard of male sexual disfunction. There are all sorts of medical adds to tackle this wide spread problem among men. Would it surprise you to learn that 31% of men will deal with sexual disfunction in their lifetime while a whopping 43% of women struggle with it? I just recently learned this information and it broke my heart. When is the last time you’ve heard an ad geared toward women regarding sexual disfunction? For me it was…..well, never. I’ve had more than one friend in my life confide in me that they could no longer have pain free sex with their husbands and I remember being so sad for them but having no answers. Then I became one of the 43%.
I’ve you’ve read my past blogs you know that I struggle with multiple diagnoses, one of which is pelvic floor disfunction. You can read more about that here.
What causes pelvic floor disfunction? There can be many causes:
Childbirth (vaginal OR caesarian)
Pregnancy
Traumatic injury to the pelvic area (for me it was breaking my tailbone…..twice)
Sexual abuse
Obesity
Menopause
Chronic constipation
Genetic predisposition
So, what does PFD (pelvic floor disfunction) look like in a woman? This is a complex issue that can show itself in many different ways. Mine started after giving birth to my second child. I would get horrible vaginal pain during my periods. Every month it felt like I was recovering from child birth yet again. Since it only happened once a month, I loaded up on advil and continued to live my life. It wasn’t until things escalated and I started to do some research that I learned I needed medical intervention.
Common signs of PFD are:
Pelvic pressure/pain
Incontinence
Difficulty with bowel movements
Painful sex
Low back and hip pain
Burning/itching/sensitivity
Increased discomfort when sitting
Vaginal pain
So what can we do about these symptoms? Sadly, I know many women that experience these things and get no help. I ended up seeing multiple doctors that threw a lot of different medications at me and told me that was all they could do. I ended up learning about PFD through a friend. She told me about pelvic floor physical therapy and how much it helped her. I ended up asking my doctor for a referral for PT and thankfully she sent one right away.
I was SO nervous to try PT. I had no idea what to expect and put off scheduling the appointment because quite honestly, I was scared to go. My PT was amazing. She listened and was so kind and gentle. She was one of the first medical professionals to show me some compassion during such a physically and psychologically painful time. PT was quite a journey for me. At first, my pain got worse. I was SO discouraged. When one issue started getting better, a new one would pop up. It was a really frustrating roller coaster for a good 6 months or so, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Pelvic floor physical therapy was exactly what I needed to heal my body. A year in, I’m still working to feel “normal”, but I am feeling SO much better than I did a year ago.
PFD is not only physically painful, but incredibly difficult to deal with psychologically. Pain in and of itself can take a mental toll, but when it’s in such a personal part of you, that mental toll increases. Suddenly you’re wearing incontinence pads, unable to sit comfortably, and sexual intimacy is like torture. It effects your every day comfort and your relationships. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please seek help. I have an incredible pelvic floor PT that I can recommend. If you aren’t in my area, still reach out and I will help find you someone to help. You can reach me at [email protected] or by messaging the Scissortailsquad instagram or facebook page.
Know that you are not alone in your pain and discomfort. In fact, almost HALF of all women are struggling with this! Please help me to get the word out and normalize this information so that there aren’t women all over the world suffering in silence. It would mean a lot if you would share this blog post.
Love you all,
