Vulvodynia/painful sex. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Wax_off · 01-10-2004, 05:41 PM

While cruising around the boards I saw a thread on the Ladies Lounge about painful sex. I have a bit of experience (second hand) with this, but don't want to break the "no men" covenant, so here's the info I have. If one of the women would like to cross post this to the LL it may be useful there too.

There are a number of possible reasons for painful sex. Some serious (like vaginismus or vulvodynoia), some not so serious (like yeast infections). If sex is being painful you should definitely see your gynecologist about it. But beware! Surprisingly few medial professionals know much about the causes of painful sex. You may be given bad information or poor treatments. In fact, expect to be given bad information and poor treatments. It happened to my girlfriend and has happened to thousands of other people. The most common advice, "Just take your time, make sure you're extra excited, and use lots of lube." isn't going to work if you have one of the serious conditions.

I don't know much about ovarian cysts or endomitrosis, but I do know about vaginismus and vulvodynia. So I'm passing the info on in the hopes that it will help someone.

Vaginismus is a condition of the muscles of the vaginal canal. Basically, they involuntarily clamp down whenever something tries to enter the vagina. The way is closed and pain is caused the tension as well as trying to push past the tensed muscles. Most of the time this involuntary reaction is the result of some trauma. The muscles tense in anticipation of pain. Treatment usually involves relaxation exercises, kegels, and gradual dilation of the muscles. Vaginismus can be unpredictable and hard to diagnose, but treatment is usually effective.

Vulvodynia is a condition of the pelvic floor muscles. No matter what you read elsewhere, this is the cause. It has been well proven and treatments discovered that are effective. The news has yet to spread to all medical practitioners. Vulvodynia causes burning sensation in the vagina, or sometimes sharp or stabbing pain. It can come in a variety of intensities. Some women have constant pain, others only when inserting foreign objects (like a penis or tampon.) It can be extremely hard to diagnose, mostly because of doctor ignorance. Bad treatments can be as severe as surgery (removal of the labia or glands in the vagina) or benign as steriods (which thin the skin of the vagina, bad.) But they don't work.
Vulvodynia is caused by tension in the pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles line the bottom of our pelvises, not exactly sure what they do, but they're there. The nerves that control those muscles are in close proximity to the nerves for the skin of the vagina. When the pelvic floor nerves are firing uncontrollably, the stimulate the vaginal skin nerves and irritate the skin. Pelvic floor muscle tension can be chronic and lead their weakening due to constant tension.
Vulvodynia is treated by relaxing, retraining and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Yeah, didn't make sense to me either. Now it does. This is done with biofeedback, massage (inside) and relaxation techniques. Some therapy might be good too to find out why the muscles are tense in the first place. It takes months (working on 8 right now), but it can be kicked.

Here are a couple links that might be helpful...

http://www.jmweissmd.com/
http://www.sexwithoutpain.com/
http://www.vulvodynia.com/

skysooner · 01-10-2004, 06:19 PM

Thanks for the info. There are lots of things about sex that people think should of as in they should be able to have it without pain otherwise there is something wrong with them. Like many things in life, there are simple explanations and treatments.

Nancy · 01-11-2004, 07:08 AM

it doesn't necessarily have to be either of the above... it could just be that the guy was too fully equipped you know? In that case:

1. Loads of lube
2. PATIENCE
3. Find the right start position that eases the pain

Wax_off · 02-13-2004, 10:50 PM

Being somewhat of a crusader here...

Bump.

Oh, and <b>Nancy</b> you missed the point.

01-10-2004, 05:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
Wax_off No Avatar, No Sig.	Vulvodynia/painful sex. While cruising around the boards I saw a thread on the Ladies Lounge about painful sex. I have a bit of experience (second hand) with this, but don't want to break the "no men" covenant, so here's the info I have. If one of the women would like to cross post this to the LL it may be useful there too. There are a number of possible reasons for painful sex. Some serious (like vaginismus or vulvodynoia), some not so serious (like yeast infections). If sex is being painful you should definitely see your gynecologist about it. But beware! Surprisingly few medial professionals know much about the causes of painful sex. You may be given bad information or poor treatments. In fact, expect to be given bad information and poor treatments. It happened to my girlfriend and has happened to thousands of other people. The most common advice, "Just take your time, make sure you're extra excited, and use lots of lube." isn't going to work if you have one of the serious conditions. I don't know much about ovarian cysts or endomitrosis, but I do know about vaginismus and vulvodynia. So I'm passing the info on in the hopes that it will help someone. Vaginismus is a condition of the muscles of the vaginal canal. Basically, they involuntarily clamp down whenever something tries to enter the vagina. The way is closed and pain is caused the tension as well as trying to push past the tensed muscles. Most of the time this involuntary reaction is the result of some trauma. The muscles tense in anticipation of pain. Treatment usually involves relaxation exercises, kegels, and gradual dilation of the muscles. Vaginismus can be unpredictable and hard to diagnose, but treatment is usually effective. Vulvodynia is a condition of the pelvic floor muscles. No matter what you read elsewhere, this is the cause. It has been well proven and treatments discovered that are effective. The news has yet to spread to all medical practitioners. Vulvodynia causes burning sensation in the vagina, or sometimes sharp or stabbing pain. It can come in a variety of intensities. Some women have constant pain, others only when inserting foreign objects (like a penis or tampon.) It can be extremely hard to diagnose, mostly because of doctor ignorance. Bad treatments can be as severe as surgery (removal of the labia or glands in the vagina) or benign as steriods (which thin the skin of the vagina, bad.) But they don't work. Vulvodynia is caused by tension in the pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles line the bottom of our pelvises, not exactly sure what they do, but they're there. The nerves that control those muscles are in close proximity to the nerves for the skin of the vagina. When the pelvic floor nerves are firing uncontrollably, the stimulate the vaginal skin nerves and irritate the skin. Pelvic floor muscle tension can be chronic and lead their weakening due to constant tension. Vulvodynia is treated by relaxing, retraining and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Yeah, didn't make sense to me either. Now it does. This is done with biofeedback, massage (inside) and relaxation techniques. Some therapy might be good too to find out why the muscles are tense in the first place. It takes months (working on 8 right now), but it can be kicked. Here are a couple links that might be helpful... http://www.jmweissmd.com/ http://www.sexwithoutpain.com/ http://www.vulvodynia.com/

01-11-2004, 07:08 AM	#3 (permalink)
Nancy Femme Fatale Location: Elysium	it doesn't necessarily have to be either of the above... it could just be that the guy was too fully equipped you know? In that case: 1. Loads of lube 2. PATIENCE 3. Find the right start position that eases the pain __________________ I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.

01-10-2004, 06:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
skysooner Registered User Location: Oklahoma	Thanks for the info. There are lots of things about sex that people think should of as in they should be able to have it without pain otherwise there is something wrong with them. Like many things in life, there are simple explanations and treatments.

02-13-2004, 10:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
Wax_off No Avatar, No Sig.	Being somewhat of a crusader here... Bump. Oh, and <b>Nancy</b> you missed the point.