“I feel like a woman….., get in the action, feel the attraction….” sings Shania Twain. So what does it mean to “feel like a woman“? It is a wonderful feeling of being wanted, feeling comfortable with your own body, feeling attractive and desired. The sexual desire is a natural force drawing people to have close physical contact and intimate relationship. But what happens if there is no joy and fun during sex because it hurts too much? How does it make you feel when you are dealing with painful sex symptoms? Less feminine, unhappy, insecure?
The statistics show that only a few women talk about the issue of painful sex with their GPs. Many more put up with their symptoms or avoid intimate contact, feeling unhappy and let down by nature. It really seems unfair when you think about going through pregnancy and childbirth and then having to experience pain again when you just want to have a loving relationship with your partner.
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia) has multiple causes which vary in different age groups. The fact is that regardless of your age or cause it is impossible to enjoy sex when it hurts. Your partner probably doesn’t enjoy it either. You may think that we are stating the obvious. Yes, we are, but at the same time, we would like to say that women do not need to accept such fate. Many problems nowadays can be fixed or eliminated, including pain during sex. The treatment depends on the cause.
In younger women after childbirth, the common cause of painful sex is trauma to the perineum (tears, episiotomy, instrumentation) and damage to the pelvic floor. The contributing factor may be also a temporary drop in oestrogen level causing vaginal dryness and reduced libido. These women often experience superficial pain (dyspareunia) localised around the opening to the vagina. It is commonly caused by scars forming in this area, which can feel like hard strings of tight tissue, sometimes very tender to touch. No wonder “you can’t feel like a woman “at least in this aspect of your life.
Later on in life after all these years of controlling your reproductive function with contraception and having to put up with your periods finally comes the Menopause and it doesn’t come just with a blessed cessation of periods. You swap periods for menopausal symptoms such as vaginal dryness, irritation, and pain during intercourse. As if the lower half of your body hasn’t already received enough trauma from pregnancies and childbirth! Yet, even if you have never had children you cannot escape menopausal symptoms. The pain during sex after menopause is very common and can make sexual intercourse difficult to enjoy. It is a direct result of vaginal ageing due to oestrogen deficiency. An ageing vagina does not develop wrinkles, but quite the opposite. In time, the vagina becomes smooth, thin, dry, more fragile and more prone to irritation, infection and bleeding. This is certainly not great news if you want to remain active in your intimate relationship.
So what can be done to eliminate or reduce the problem of pain during sex, to restore your confidence, the joy of sex, the fun and the bond with your partner?
The management depends on the cause. We have focussed in here mainly on two of the most common causes of dyspareunia which can be managed relatively easily and successfully. Pain associated with postmenopausal vaginal dryness and thinning (atrophy) is often managed with vaginal oestrogen creams/pessaries and lubricants. The pain from tight, tender scars in the perineum is managed by constant massage with oil or surgical division of the band of the scar tissue. But not all women can or want to go down the hormonal treatments or if the surgical procedure route after they have been through a traumatic childbirth.
Well, the good news is that there is a new treatment which does not involve hormones, lubricants or scalpels. This treatment can improve or alleviate several symptoms at the same time and if this wasn’t good enough it is painless, quick, effective and delivers a long-lasting result. Sounds too good to be true, right? Actually not. The answer: INTIMA laser treatments. These powerful laser treatment with INTIMA restores vaginal mucosa and collagen architecture and elasticity, increases vaginal thickness and lubrication, resulting in a thicker, tighter and rejuvenated vaginal canal which works and feels better. The new rejuvenated mucosa becomes more responsive to stimulation during sex.
Our advanced technology can even work to stretch tender and tight vaginal openings and soften scars in the perineum, making intercourse with your partner possible again and not painful anymore. With this technology, we can pave a way to restoring and improving your sex life. You will be able to become confident again, feel comfortable, and attractive, and most importantly, you will be able to look forward to having a happy sex life just like it used to be. Get in touch with The Women’s Clinic and “ feel like a woman” again.
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