Common Problems Women Have with their Sexual Health
When it comes to understanding our bodies, our hormones, and what the heck is happening when something feels off. From personal experience (both Joana and Brittany having endometriosis) it can seriously suck when your body doesn't do what it's supposed to do. And what's more, it can be really hard to understand what it could be. It's estimated that approximately 30-50% of women have a sexual health problem at some point in their life. The type of problems we will be discussing can be organized into 4 categories.
Desire
A lack of desire is actually quite common for many women of any age. For many women, it's actually normal for desire to not start until sexual activity has started. A lack of desire becomes problematic when at least 3 of the following are true and persistent for 6 months:
- Does not want to engage in any sexual activity including masturbation
- Does not have or has very few sexual fantasies or thoughts
- A woman does not want to initiate sexual encounters with a partner
- A woman does not have any pleasure during sexual activity
Arousal
This is talking about physical and emotional changes that happens with sexual stimulation. Some women with arousal problems may not feel mental or physical excitement from sex. Other women may only feel one or the other. Our arousal levels can be affected by many things like
- changes in how we feel about our bodies
- pregnancy and nursing
- not getting enough exercise
- not getting enough sleep
- medications
- use of alcohol or drugs
- relationship problems
Orgasmic
Difficulty reaching an orgasm is actually quite common so do not fret! But many women may see this as a problem and may want to find a solution. This issue can be caused by
- a new health problem or mental health condition
- a change in the relationship
- surgery or radiation in the pelvic area
Sexual Pain
There are two common conditions that could cause sexual pain
- Vaginismus: muscle spasms in the pelvic floor muscles.
- Dyspareunia: painful sexual intercourse due to medical or psychological causes. The pain can range from inside or outside of the vagina, and can affect a small portion or be felt all over the surface.
These conditions can cause symptoms that include:
- tightening of the vaginal muscles, making penetration extremely difficult
- tension, pain, or a burning sensation when penetration is attempted
- less desire or no desire for sex
- avoidance of sex
- intense fear of pain
But as we all know, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other problems that can occur down there including endometriosis, yeast infections, and cancers. It is so important to understand what is your normal so that you can understand what is not and talk to your doctor. Unsure? Discuss it with your doctor. Every woman's bodies are different from one another so comparing with one another may not be the most accurate description.
Look at our instagram story for Brittany's experience with endo!
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