The media, whether it be movies, television, or porn, loves to portray an orgasm as this explosive release that happens so easily and with very minimal effort. The reality is that it isn't that easy for the majority of the population, in fact, research tells us that 30% of women "rarely or never" orgasm during vaginal intercourse and between 5-10% of people who have a vulva experience anorgasmia at some point in their lives. Our patients come to us telling us they feel like the "fireworks" they once experienced are just a dull sparkle now, some tell us they've never reached an orgasm and don't even know what it would feel like if they did have one, and some patients tell us that they can only achieve an orgasm when they use a certain toy, alone, or with a certain partner. This leaves so many people feeling hopeless and full of self-doubt that they can't preform for themselves or for their partners. If this is you, don't give up hope! With time and knowledge you can get back to feeling like yourself again & take back control of your sex life, continue reading to learn more. What Is Anorgasmia? Anorgasmia is described by the Mayo Clinic as "delayed, infrequent, or absent orgasms - or significantly less-intense orgasms — after sexual arousal and adequate sexual stimulation". It's important to remember that orgasms vary drastically from one person to another, no two are alike, so make sure you take that into account. Compare against yourself, not against other people. It's also necessary to note that there can be a myriad of factors that can contribute to your ability to perform sexually aside including alcohol or drug use, certain medications like SSRIs, and various psychological factors like your perception of yourself, body image issues, and low self esteem. Anorgasmia can be categorized into several different categories: primary, secondary, and situational and they all manifest themselves in different ways. Primary Anorgasmia is a condition in which a person has never had an orgasm in any way, whether that be via penetrative intercourse, oral, manual stimulation or masturbation and regardless whether it's solo or with a partner. Secondary Anorgasmia is defined as a condition in which a person has achieved orgasms in the past but no longer can, or is unhappy with the amount of time it now takes them to reach an orgasm, or is frustrated with the sensation of orgasms now compared to in the past (ie. Used to feel fireworks, now feels like a dull sparkle). Situational Anorgasmia is when a person can only reach an orgasm in certain situations with specific types of stimulation or specific partners. How Do The Pelvic Floor Muscles Play a Part? We learned in previous blog posts that the pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form a sling-like structure at the base of the pelvis, these muscles go from front to back and from side to and that they play a crucial role in supporting the pelvic organs as well as inhibiting sexual function. The superficial pelvic floor muscles function to help people achieve an erection, ejaculate, and orgasm. I think My Pelvic Floor is Affecting My Sexual Function, What Now? If any of these symptoms or sensations speak to you, don't panic, you're not alone and you can overcome this. We understand that sexual health and being content and happy with your sex life plays a huge role in many people's mental health & the strength of their relationships. One excellent way to improve sexual function, regain your confidence, and take back your sex life is through Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. Pelvic Floor PT has been shown time and time again to improve sexual function in both men and women, whether that be lack of orgasm, pain with intercourse, or a combination of the two. At Restoration Health Collective our team of pelvic floor specialists will create a personalized treatment plan specifically for your needs and goals. You'll receive one-on-one care with a physical therapist who is dedicated to helping you reach your goals and take back your confidence once again. Have More Questions About How Pelvic Floor PT Can Help You Regain Your Sexual Function?
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We're excited to announce that our GRAND (RE)OPENING CELEBRATION is on Tuesday, January 31 from 4-6 pm at our clinic located at 6721 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA 70806! Our office has been designed with your comfort and well-being in mind, and we can't wait for you to see it. During the party, you'll have the opportunity to take a tour of our clinic and learn about the techniques and methods we implement to treat pelvic floor disorders. Our team of specialists will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and provide information on the various treatments we offer. In addition to touring the office and learning new information about the services we offer and the techniques we use, we will also have yummy snacks from local vendors for you to enjoy. Sandwiches from Calvins, cookies from CounterSpace, and a nice little beverage spread, we couldn't ask for more! We understand that pelvic floor disorders can be a sensitive topic, and we want you to feel comfortable and confident in our care. Our team is dedicated to providing personalized, compassionate care for everyone who walks through our doors. We look forward to seeing our old friends, meeting new folks in the community, and celebrating our rebranding and growth with everyone. Can't wait to see you there! Pleasure, Not Pain: Tackling Pelvic Floor Dysfunction for a Better Experience in the Bedroom1/13/2023 If you’ve ever had sex and before during or after intercourse thought to yourself, “Is what I just experienced normal? Does sex feel like that for everyone?” you’re going to want to keep reading. Painful intercourse, also known as dyspareunia, can be caused by pelvic floor dysfunction. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, nerves, and connective tissue that support the pelvic organs and control bladder, bowel, and sexual function. When these muscles become weak or tight, it can lead to a variety of issues, including pain during intercourse. Keep reading to discover if the uncomfortable sensations you’re feeling are “common but not normal.” Initial Entry We often have people come into our clinic and tell us that when they attempt to insert an object everything feels very "sharp and stabby," or that there’s a sensation of a “wall” blocking the object’s entrance. We also commonly hear that their vaginal or anal opening almost feels like “sandpaper”, very dry, and burning sensations no matter how much lubrication they use. There can be several reasons for this type of pain, many of them pointing back towards the pelvic floor muscles as an issue. Deeper Entry If our patients have pain with deeper entry, that will explain it feels "achy", almost like someone is "poking a bruise" deep, deep inside the pelvis.. Another common sensation people experience is, “it feels like they’re running into something or hitting my organs”, depending on what position they’re in. People who are experiencing these sensations often tell us that they can handle certain positions like missionary, but others like being on top, is totally out of the question. This is probably due to a muscle issue, even though it feels much worse than that. Pain with Tampon, Pap Smear, or Sex Toys If you’ve never been able to put a tampon in or have a gynecological exam without pain and dread, it could very well be a pelvic floor problem. This can also be a problem in bedroom while trying different toys and experiencing pain with insertion or usage. Pain During Orgasm When you’re having an orgasm, your pelvic floor is essentially involuntarily squeezing and releasing repeatedly. The problem is, when your pelvic floor muscle is too short and you have an orgasm, this can become extremely painful because the muscle is over contracted. This can also make your other symptoms (bladder, bowel, back pack, etc ) worse afterward. A lot of our patients who are dealing with this tell us they don’t even want to have sex anymore because the best part is taken away with pain. Oftentimes this sensation is described to us as a “Charlie horse in the vagina”, “electricity-like”, or like “zingers”. Pain After Intercourse It’s very common for patients to tell us that they can only have sex at the end of the day because afterwards they’re in so much pain that they can’t stand up and go about their day, they must lay down until the pain subsides. If they try to have sex earlier in the day and try to go about business as usual, they experience heaviness in the vulva or pressure, almost like it feels like something may “fall out” if they stand up for too long. This can be extremely frustrating because what should be fun and spontaneous, must be planned out and routine. The Bottom Line Though all of these symptoms are very common, and we see them all the time, they are in no way normal. If everything is functioning correctly in the body, sex should never hurt or be uncomfortable. If you’ve ever experienced any of these sensations, feel free to call our office or watch the video below for more information. We want to help you take back your confidence in the bedroom and get back to living life on your terms! Take back control so your pelvic floor isn't running the show. P.S. If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “is this all it is?” during intercourse, stay tuned. Next week’s blog will feature what it means if you’re not feeling the “fireworks” everyone always talks about.
Now that we understand the basic pelvic floor anatomy and function, we can delve deeper into what happens when the pelvic floor isn't functioning as it should and what symptoms may arise from this dysfunction. If you're suffering from pelvic floor problems, it's most likely due to one of two things: the muscles being too long and weak or too short and weak. Let's start with the first problem, if the pelvic floor is very long and weak, the muscles are underutilized and it can become difficult for them to generate any type of force. Imagine Napoleon Dynamite or Shaggy on Scooby Doo. This issue commonly leads to difficulty in controlling bowel, bladder and sexual function, as well as pelvic organ prolapse. People who fall into this group generally respond well to pelvic floor strengthening exercises, also known as Kegels. The second problem many people deal with is their muscles in the pelvic floor being too short. Imagine a body builder walking around with their shoulders almost touching their ears, it doesn't matter how much weight they can move because they aren't functional. They wouldn't be able to scratch their own back or wash their own hair because that muscle is too short and tense. This issue commonly leads to discomfort, pain, and difficulty with bowel, bladder and sexual function. This is the problem we see most commonly in our office! Almost every day we have people come into the clinic with muscles that are weak because they are too short, not weak because they're too long. When we see muscles that aren't working optimally and functioning correctly, we first determine which camp they're in, too long or too short, via a physical examination. We then prescribe the appropriate intervention. We're committed to customizing treatment plans based on what each individual who steps into our office needs and how their body responds to care. You'll never receive a "one-size-fits-all" approach from us, because we understand that everyone's body is different and requires different treatment. If you’re interested in learning more about pelvic floor dysfunction and what’s happening behind the scenes when your symptoms start to snowball, watch the video below! Before we dive into what happens when the pelvic floor goes rogue and the symptoms associated with dysfunction, it’s important to understand its anatomy and how it functions when everything is working as it should be. It can be difficult to conceptualize the pelvic floor because you can’t physically see it, so let’s dive in! The pelvis itself is a bony structure that forms the base of the spine and supports the organs of the lower abdomen. This structure is comprised of the hip bones, what you feel of when you put your hands on your hips, the pubic bone, the hard bone at the very front of your pelvis, the sacrum, a triangular-shaped bone at the base of the spine, and the coccyx, a small bone at the base of the scrum, also known as the tailbone. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form a sling-like structure at the base of the pelvis, these muscles go from front to back and from side to. These muscles play a crucial role in supporting the pelvic organs including the bladder, uterus, and rectum, as well as controlling bowel, bladder, and sexual function. From SexMed Advocate: https://www.sexmedadvocate.com/hypertonic-pelvic-floor-dysfunction-vaginismus Now that we understand the basic anatomy of the pelvis and the pelvic floor, let’s discuss how the pelvic floor functions, if everything Is working as it should. When the pelvic floor muscles contract they move up and in, this contraction closes any openings your anatomy has. For males, this would mean the anal opening and for females this would mean the vaginal opening, urethra, and anal opening. This is all to say, you should be unable to pee, poop, or insert anything into any of these openings, if the pelvic floor is contracted or the “door is closed”. When the door, or the muscle, “rests”, imagine how your shoulders are “resting” when you’re just standing normally, it should be resting in a closed position. The muscles are not working or actively doing anything, they’re just sitting still. In this state, nothing should be able to exit or enter the pelvis. The final function of the pelvic floor muscle is the action of moving down and out. When this is the case, the muscle is open, ideally this would mean anything could move in or out at will. When the muscle is in this position you should be able to pee or poop comfortably and without issue. This position is also what allows anything to enter that you so please, males should be able to get a prostate exam, females should be able to have a vaginal exam, put in a tampon, and anyone should be able to have intercourse freely and without pain. In a perfect world, this is how the pelvic floor should function. If you have any questions about this information give our office a call or send us an email, we would love to help! Want more knowledge on the topic? Watch the video below for additional information on the anatomy and function of the pelvic floor. |