Long before CPT began treating intercourse pain, we did not even know our treatment could help in this area. Over time, the CPT team began to notice that many women who came for infertility treatment were also reporting decreased intercourse pain. Some women reported, “I’m not sure why, but I don’t experience pain anymore with intercourse.” Others were considerably bolder and told us, “My orgasms have been incredible since treatment!”

We decided to investigate further and also developed different manual physical therapy techniques that we felt could help female intercourse pain. We then conducted a study to scientifically test how our treatment could help sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain. The results, published in Medscape General Medicine, were more than we could have ever imagined. 91% of study participants experienced a reduction in intercourse pain and large percentages of women reported improvements in orgasm (56%), lubrication (70%), desire (78%), and arousal (74%).

CPT is now proud to offer a treatment plan specifically for women with intercourse pain and sexual dysfunction. As we continue on our path of education, self-improvement, and research, our treatment for these conditions only improves. Even better news is that at CPT, we never treat “parts” of our patients. We believe everything is connected; we often see that pain and dysfunction in one area is linked to dysfunction in another. So if you come for infertility treatment, but also experience intercourse pain, our therapists will treat both conditions. For more information, please see our article Infertility and Sexual Dysfunction are Linked, And Its Not All in Your Head and You Don’t Have to Cope with Painful Intercourse While Trying to Conceive.

Please visit our website to learn more about our treatment for female infertility, female sexual dysfunction, or painful intercourse. Not sure if you have sexual dysfunction? Read our article Is Your Sexual Function Normal?

Many comedic movies like to poke fun at the relationship between men and women in the bedroom. While these portrayals are sometimes humorous, they fail in one regard: showing a real woman. In comedic movies, women are either portrayed as the sex kitten who will bring out the whip at any given moment or the completely bored lover who has to use “fake orgasms” or the excuse of headaches.

What is normal female sexual function? Occasionally having a “headache” or trying to spice things up certainly isn’t abnormal, but for most women, these two extremes don’t represent their sexual relationships.

To help define “normal” female sexual function, doctors designed the Female Sexual Function Index. It breaks-up female sexual function into six quantifiable categories:

• Desire
• Arousal
• Lubrication
• Satisfaction
• Orgasm
• Pain

Doctors have designed a questionnaire to help a woman determine her overall sexual function score. To take the test and see your score, visit the FSFI website.

If a woman scores low on the test, it does not mean there is something “wrong” with her. It may be that a woman isn’t lubricating enough, making sex painful. Or a woman may not be receiving enough foreplay, leading to decreased arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and overall satisfaction. Another possibility is that a woman is experiencing a particularly painful emotional time, thus decreasing her levels of arousal and desire.

But what if you scored low and you feel your sexual function has been low for years? What if you and your husband have tried to increase your sexual experience in multiple ways, but it just isn’t working? What if no matter what you do, you still experience pain with sex?

If any of these questions sound like you, adhesions may be contributing to your sexual dysfunction and pain. Adhesions form after any injury to the body – including vaginal infections, bladder infections, rough sex, etc. The minute an infection occurs, tiny strands of collagen rush to the site. They not only seal off the area from the rest of the body, but also help it heal. Although helpful, these strands of collagen can blanket the sensitive walls of the vagina. When the nerves of the vagina are blanketed, desire, lubrication, satisfaction, and orgasm can be decreased.

In addition to blanketing the vagina, collagen can continue to build and form adhesions. Adhesions can constrict the vagina, pull on the cervix, or pull on nearby structures. Whenever a woman attempts sex, pain is generated as the adhesions are stretched.

To learn more about a safe, non-invasive treatment for sexual function and intercourse pain, please visit our painful intercourse page and sexual dysfunction page.

Maintaining a sexually satisfying relationship can be difficult for couples struggling with infertility.  Judith C. Daniluk, author of an article entitled, “Keeping Your Sex Life Alive While Coping with Infertility” explains that, “Infertility affects a person’s feelings about themselves – their masculinity or femininity, their self worth, their self esteem, their body.”

Many women experience a deterioration of sexual satisfaction during infertility treatments, often related to feelings of disappointment, guilt, or low self esteem. These feelings can decrease a woman’s sexual desire, arousal, ability to lubricate, and overall satisfaction.

A study published by Fertility and Sterility (October 2007) found that women experience greater levels of anxiety and sexual stress due to infertility than men. For some women, infertility treatments directly decrease desire and arousal because of altered hormonal levels.

Although these articles and studies show that decreased sexual satisfaction can be related to emotional and mental health, it is imperative that women know sexual dysfunction or painful intercourse is not always, “all in your head.”

At CPT, we often find that female infertility and sexual dysfunction are physically linked. Frequently, a woman will experience a common event such as a car accident, vaginal infection, STD, sexual abuse, or surgery that causes adhesions to form within the reproductive tract. These adhesions can lead to infertility by restricting or pulling the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, and vagina. Although some women may not initially experience any pain or sexual dysfunction at the time, the continued pulling and restriction can cause more adhesions to form, eventually resulting in painful intercourse and sexual dysfunction six to twelve months later. Because of the delayed onset, women often do not see the connection between their infertility and sexual dysfunction.

CPT therapists see sexual dysfunction as a clue to discover the cause of a woman’s infertility. We often ask patients, “When did your sexual dysfunction begin? How often does it occur? Are you experiencing trouble with arousal, desire, satisfaction, orgasm, pain, or lubrication? In what sexual positions does sex hurt? Where exactly does it hurt and what does it feel like?”

The answers to these questions shape our individualized treatment for each woman. Many women find that when we resolve the cause of their infertility, we also resolve the cause of their sexual dysfunction and pain.

To learn more about our treatment, please visit our sexual dysfunction page, painful intercourse page, or female infertility page.

Sexual intimacy and intercourse should provide some of life’s greatest pleasures. But because the female urogenital and reproductive organs are very susceptible to adhesions, intercourse can become painful, dissatisfying, and embarrassing. Many women still believe the old misconception that “there isn’t anything that can be done,” or “it’s just the way it is,” or “my mother didn’t enjoy sexual intimacy and neither did hers, therefore I won’t be able to either.”

If you are not satisfied with sexual intercourse, you are not alone. Did you know that approximately 50% of all US women and 43% of women aged 18-59 experience female sexual dysfunction (FSD) according to data from Urology and the Journal of the American Medical Association? In 2000. the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy classified female sexual dysfunction into six measurable domains: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Intercourse pain affects between 46% and 60% of all US women, according to reports in American Family Physician (2001) and Obstetrics & Gynecology (1996). Have you ever been informed that female sexual dysfunction can occur during any stage of intercourse?

Although sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain are prevalent among women, these conditions should not be considered “normal” or “untreatable.” An informative article found in Science Daily (November 16, 2006) discusses a recent study about a possible cause of sexual dysfunction in women. The study, completed by researchers of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine and The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found that many female competitive bicyclists experienced decreased genital sensation. The researches found that external genital nerves and arteries were negatively affected by being directly compressed in women who consistently cycled an average of at least 10 miles a week, four weeks per month.

Other known causes of sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain include bladder infections, yeast infection, inflammatory disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic surgeries, physical or sexual abuse, etc.  All of these conditions can cause adhesions to form within in the reproductive tract. Adhesions can restrict and blanket the delicate structures of the reproductive system, causing decreased sensation (such as in the bicyclists) or painful intercourse.

So what can a woman do once she experiences sexual dysfunction or painful intercourse? First, she should speak with her doctor to make sure there is not a greater problem at hand, such as endometriosis or a sexually transmitted disease. If the doctor cannot find a probable cause, it is likely that adhesions are at fault.

A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Medscape General Medicine (2004) examined a sexual dysfunction treatment that directly targets adhesions within the reproductive tract. The study showed that 78% of women had increased desire (libido), 74% had increased arousal, 70% had increased lubrication, and 56% experienced increased orgasms after receiving treatment developed at Clear Passage Therapies®. For more information on this treatment, please visit our sexual dysfunction or painful intercourse page.

By Jackie

Female sexual function relies on adequate levels of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction. So why do so many women experience trouble in these areas? We believe the G-spot is key to unraveling this puzzle.

The G-Spot is located just two inches inside the vagina. To find it, place one finger inside the vagina as far as it will go, and then curl your finger up towards your belly button. When you feel this area, do you notice any textures? Is the tissue smooth and mobile, or are there bumps or something that feels like corduroy, a stocking, or hairnet? If the tissue is anything but smooth, it is a sign that adhesions have formed in this area.

When adhesions form over the G-spot, they can desensitize it or pull the delicate tissues of the vagina. This can lead to decreased lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction. When a woman is not satisfied with her sexual experience or experiences difficulty lubricating, it can later be difficult to desire sex or become aroused.

At CPT, we treat sexual dysfunction and pain by addressing adhesions that form in and around the reproductive tract. Our study, published in Medscape General Medicine, found that after treatment, women experienced increased desire (78%), increased arousal (74%), increased lubrication (70%), increased satisfaction (65%), increased orgasm (56%), and decreased pain (96%).

To learn more about our treatment for sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain, please visit our site.

A medical study published last month in Fertility and Sterility found that women who experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse at any time during their life had doubled odds of experiencing sexual dysfunction. That means female survivors of abuse are TWICE as likely to struggle with desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and intercourse pain. This study is extremely relevant to women because it shows that even if the abuse occurred during childhood, it can have lasting impacts on sexual function in adulthood. The psychological and emotional impacts of abuse are devastating enough – women do not deserve to live with continued pain or sexual dissatisfaction.

In some instances, women are subjected to direct force, such as being stuck or forced into sexual acts. As a result of the trauma, adhesions may form to help the body repair and heal. However, these adhesions can also restrict the vagina, cover sensitive structures designed to make sex pleasurable, or adhere the vagina to other structures, such as the bladder. Adhesions can also form at the cervix, making it immobile and painful during intercourse. Adhesions that restrict the vagina can also prevent proper lubrication. Furthermore, women who experience intercourse pain often become guarded against sex and experience trouble with desire and arousal.

In other instances, trauma from abuse may occur over time. For example, if a child experiences ongoing emotional abuse, she will always be “on guard” against a recurrent perpetrator, thus tensing her muscles and causing them to go into spasm. Over time, this spasm can also result in adhesions. Adhesions that form around the pituitary-hypothalamus feedback loop can also prevent proper hormonal function, thus decreasing desire and arousal.

Our treatment for sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain can be extremely helpful and cathartic for women who have experienced physical or sexual abuse. We treat the scars and adhesions that form within our patients as a result of the abuse. When we break-apart, detach, and deform these adhesions, women find that pain dramatically decreases and their sexual function increases.

One of our previous patients, Kelly, came to CPT after experiencing sexual abuse almost 20 years prior. She told us, “I had a feeling that the therapy would help me resolve the pain and inflexibility in the vaginal area which had resulted in sexual dysfunction.” After completing our 20 hour treatment program she reported, “The therapy worked beautifully, and I have had no pain since the treatment.”

Please visit our website if you would like to read more about our treatment for sexual dysfunction, intercourse pain, or abuse.

More than half of the women in the study also reported concerns of physical or sexual abuse, and over 40% reported sexual coercion at some point in their lives. “Experiences with abuse or coercion may explain why some women are hesitant to talk about their sexual concerns,” says physical therapist Belinda Wurn, an expert in treating the physical components of sexual dysfunction and dyspareunia.

Still, many other women with no history of abuse often conclude that painful intercourse is a normal occurrence for women and do not think to complain to their physician. They simply live with the pain or become disinterested in sex.

“When sex hurts, intercourse can become a time of silent agony instead of pleasure,” Wurn says. “Many women may attempt to avoid sex altogether due to the pain.”

Wurn should know. After a pelvic surgery and radiation for cancer of the cervix left her infertile and in pain, she searched for years to regain a pain-free sexual life. Now the tables are turned and she is conducting and publishing research on the work that got her out of pain.

The pelvic therapy she uses addresses a wholly physical component; it is designed to decrease vaginal and pelvic adhesions that form after trauma, infection, inflammation, or surgery. Untreated, adhesions can remain in the body for a lifetime where they act like glue, tightening tissues and causing pain.

Wurn’s findings have been published in several peer-reviewed medical journals, but “research is only one step in the right direction in helping women resolve their painful intercourse,” she says. “Healthcare professionals need to be stronger advocates and initiate conversations about sexual health with their patients. Sex should not hurt and women don’t have to live with it.”

”Women might want to keep a journal to assess their pain,” Wurn suggests. ”They should note when the pain first started, how often it occurs, if it occurs at certain times during the monthly cycle or in certain coital positions, and if the pain occurs at the entrance or deeper within the vagina. Women should feel encouraged to discuss their journal with their gynecologist. If their doctor doesn’t listen, they should find another who will.”

Wurn and her husband are currently co-authoring a new book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, to help bring these issues to the forefront of medical care.

The therapy, which addresses reproductive tract adhesions, caused unexpected results in some patients when they returned home to their partners, according to physical therapist Belinda Wurn.

“I was dumbfounded when patients first started calling in these reports,” admits Wurn. “I wondered if it was a fluke.” But as more patients reported powerful orgasms “like they’d never had in their lives” she decided to investigate further.

“Orgasms increased in most subjects, but so did desire, arousal and lubrication,” he said. Intercourse pain decreased in all but one woman, according to a study published in Medscape General Medicine.

The study is important because sexual dysfunction affects nearly half of all US women during their lives, according to medical literature, he said. No study has shown success in so many areas of sexual dysfunction.

“I was shocked,” said a 42-year-old infertility patient. “After therapy, I began having sexual desire and responses unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life! My husband is happy — but he’s actually getting exhausted with my new-found libido!”

The non-invasive infertility treatment, developed by Clear Passage Therapies ®(CPT)  involves a protocol of manual physical therapy techniques that can be completed at any CPT clinic within one week. It does not use drugs or surgery.

The group has published medical studies and citations in journals including Fertility and Sterility and Medscape General Medicine that show improvements in fertility, pain and sexual function, after women received the new therapy. Based on patient interest, they are expanding their investigation of treating sexual dysfunction.

For interviews with physicians, therapists, or patients, contact Larry Wurn 352-336-1433 or cptherapy(at)aol.com