Tag Archive for intercourse pain

When Intimacy Hurts

June 8, 2011 Clear Passage Physical Therapy One comment

You are not alone

You Are Not Alone
It is estimated that up to half of US women experience pain with intercourse (dyspareunia), according to published studies.

This staggering statistic reveals a condition that often goes unspoken, untreated, and unresolved. For many women, this topic is neglected in their conversations with their physicians, gynecologists, and friends. But why? If this condition affects so many, why aren’t people talking about it?

Stuck in Silence
Women should be empowered over their sexual health, not stuck in silence. It is through empowerment and education that women can find answers to their pain and discomfort and begin on a path to health and healing.

What’s the Cause?
Painful intercourse, or dyspareunia, is often caused by adhesions. Adhesions are internal scars that form after a trauma, surgery, infection or inflammation. Perhaps you fell on your tailbone as a teenager, or perhaps you’ve had bladder infections, or a prior pelvic surgery. All of these can be implications of adhesion formation.

Tiny adhesions form on the vaginal wall and can bind pain-sensitive tissues, causing pain.

Tiny adhesions form on the vaginal wall and can bind pain-sensitive tissues, causing pain.

As adhesions form, they can cover and bind the nearby tissues and organs causing restriction and often pain. When these adhesions form inside the delicate vaginal wall, they can cause intense pain during intercourse. The pain has often been described as though the woman’s partner is hitting something at the entrance or with deep penetration. Some women experience other symptoms including anorgasmia (the inability to have an orgasm or reach a full orgasm) and decreased desire (libido). These side effects of adhesions can severely limit a woman’s ability to have a pleasurable and healthy sex life.

How To Treat Dyspareunia
So how can you treat this condition without causing additional trauma and adhesion formation? A hands-on physical therapy, called the Wurn Technique, has shown excellent results in decreasing pain with intercourse and increasing sexual function without the need for drugs or surgery. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Medscape General Medicine (2004) showed that 78% of women had increased desire (libido), 74% increased arousal, 70% increased lubrication, and 56% had increased orgasms after receiving this treatment.1

Endometriosis and Dyspareunia
Women who suffer from endometriosis often encounter painful intercourse as well. A study published in Fertility and Sterility showed a 93% decrease in pain with intercourse after receiving therapy.

What Physicians Say About the Wurn Technique


“The Wurn Technique® is remarkable; it is the only therapy shown to improve all phases of female sexual function, including arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction. Amazingly, it does this without the side effects and multiple risks of surgery or drugs.”

Dr. John D. Perry, Psychologist
Author of “The G Spot”

“Their studies show improvement in desire, arousal/lubrication, orgasm/satisfaction and pain. I know of no other single therapy reported to increase all areas of sexual function. I am truly excited to learn about the Wurn Technique®”

Dr. Scott Miles, Gynecologist, Medical Director
Miles Ahead Health and Wellness, Indianapolis, IN

1. Wurn LJ, Wurn BF, King CR, Roscow AS, Scharf ES, Shuster JJ. Increasing Orgasm and Decreasing Dyspareunia by a Manual Physical Therapy Technique. Med Gen Med 2004 Dec 14; 6(4): 47. PMID 15775874
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Flowers, Chocolates, and Endometriosis

February 14, 2011 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

Today is Valentine’s Day. For many couples, the day will be met with chocolate roses, gushing cards, and sweet embraces. For women who suffer from endometriosis however, it may be met with heightened anxiety, relational challenges, and debilitating pain.

Studies estimate that up to half of all US women experience problems with painful intercourse, (dyspareunia). This all too common health issue is often met with the response, “It’s all in your head”. This explanation can create a feeling of disempowerment for women who know there is a very real source to the pain they experience.

It is not all in your head

Despite health professional’s dismissal of intercourse pain as a psychological issue, the pain is often a result of a mechanical issue caused by adhesions. Adhesions form as part of the body’s healing process after an infection, inflammation, surgery or trauma.

Adhesions can form as a result of:

  • Endometriosis
  • Bladder or Vaginal Infection
  • Surgery (C-section, episiotomy, laparotomy)
  • Trauma to the tailbone or pubic bones (often a fall or accident)

These adhesions create thick fibrous bands at the site of the initial trauma and can attach to the delicate tissues and organs within the pelvis. These attachments create a pull during intercourse, which often results in pain. This pain has been described as either sharp and specific or broad and deep.

Getting the spark back

A study published in Fertility and Sterility, investigated the decrease of painful intercourse in women with endometriosis after receiving a hands-on physical therapy treatment, called the Wurn Technique®. The study reported the following results:

  • 50% of study participants reported reduced ovulation pain
  • 61% of study participants reported reduced menstrual pain
  • 93% of study participants reported reduced intercourse pain
  • 64% reported increased intensity and duration of orgasm
  • 71% reported increased desire (libido)
  • 86% reported increased arousal
  • 79% reported increased lubrication
  • 71% reported increased satisfaction
  • 93% reported improved overall sexual function

The Wurn Technique® feels much like a deep pelvic massage and can be completed in as little as five days.  The Wurn Technique® is provided by the skilled therapists at Clear Passage Physical Therapy. Each therapist empowers their patients by working with them instead of simply working on them throughout therapy. The Clear Passage team has helped many couples return to a healthy and intimate relationship.

“Before therapy intercourse was too painful.

Since therapy, I have had no pain. This is incredible.

What a gift to our marriage. Thank you.”

-Clear Passage Patient

For more information, visit www.clearpassage.com.

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Discovering a Treatment for Intercourse Pain

March 27, 2009 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

The Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) team is devoted to continual research and development. We always monitor our patients’ progress and feedback after treatment. Once we begin to notice a trend, we expand our research in that area to see how our treatment can help.

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?

Intercourse Pain, Recent Posts, Sexual Function ,

The Role of the Cervix in Menstrual Pain

February 23, 2009 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

By Jackie

When women think of menstrual cramps, we normally think of the constant ache or throbbing pain in the pelvis. We seldom think cervix, but it is a key player in menstrual cramps.

During menstruation, the lining of the uterus detaches and exits the body through the cervix. The cervix is the opening to the uterus. In its natural, midline position, it opens slightly, allowing menstrual blood to pass into the vagina.

When adhesions form around the cervix or within its tissues (as pictured in the zoombox), the opening of the cervix can become narrowed.

When adhesions form around the cervix or within its delicate tissues (as shown in the zoombox), the opening of the cervix can be narrowed

But if the cervix has been damaged or adhesions have formed on or near the cervix, the cervix can elicit a great deal of pain during menstruation. If the cervix is pulled or pushed forward, backward, or to one side, it can make the passage of menstrual blood difficult and painful. If adhesions have formed on or near the cervix, the opening of the cervix can be constricted. When blood tries to pass through the constricted opening, it can elicit a great amount of pain.

Because the cervix is protected inside the vagina, many women are not aware of how easily the cervix can be damaged. Sexual intercourse or sexual abuse can physically push the cervix out of alignment. Any surgery in the pelvis can cause adhesions to form that constrict the cervix. Sexually transmitted diseases can create inflammation that leads to adhesion formation. STDs can also inflame the cervix, making the passage of menstrual blood painful. Radiation therapy causes the same process of adhesion formation and can leave the entire pelvis adhered. Even vaginal or yeast infections can lead to adhesion formation that constricts the cervix or pulls it out of alignment.

Many women who have adhesions in their reproductive tract or have cervixes that are out of alignment also experience pain during sexual intercourse. The same adhesions that constrict the cervix can also constrict the vaginal walls, leading to pain when stretched. To read more about the role of the cervix in intercourse pain, read Three Common Causes of Deep Penetration Pain.

Conventional treatment for adhesions involves laparoscopic surgery to lyse (burn) any adhesions. However, few women are willing to undergo surgery in a very delicate, personal area when their chief complaint is menstrual pain.

Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) offers a unique and effective alternative that directly treats adhesions and the cervix. Using manual physical therapy techniques, CPT therapists deform and detach adhesions. They also gently enable the cervix to move back to its natural position. Following treatment, may women report that their menstrual pain is significantly decreased or gone. Many women who previously experienced pain with intercourse also report that sex is no longer painful. To learn more about our treatment for menstrual cramps or how CPT can decrease painful intercourse, see our menstrual pain page or intercourse pain page.

Pelvic & Menstrual Pain, Recent Posts , , ,

Causes of Decreased Sensation During Intercourse

February 16, 2009 Clear Passage Physical Therapy No comments

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.” A study published by the Journal of Sexual Medicine (2006)* found that many female competitive bicyclists experienced decreased genital sensation. The researchers 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. The results of their study can also be applied to other physical activities such as horseback riding.

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. The doctor can then ascertain if the vulva has been damaged in any way and determine the proper treatment.

*Marsha K. Guess, Kathleen Connell, Steven Schrader, Susan Reutman, Andrea Wang, Julie LaCombe, Christine Toennis, Brian Lowe, Arnold Melman, Magdy Mikhail “Genital Sensation and Sexual Function in Women Bicyclists and Runners: Are Your Feet Safer than Your Seat?” Journal of Sexual Medicine. Vol 3, No 6.

Author Bio: Kandy Newland-Platt is a writer and administrator at Clear Passage Therapies.

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