Endometriosis painful sex and advice from frendo
It’s time to remove the embarrassment from intimate health and to talk about issues that affect so many people.
Experiencing pain before, during or after intercourse is known as dyspareunia and affects around 75% of women at some point in their life.
In women, pain during sex can be for several reasons such as an infections, changing hormone levels, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or endometriosis.
Pain during or after sex is one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis and one that shouldn’t be ignored. Dyspareunia is one of the top symptoms that endo sufferers experience - many endo sufferers I speak to have been affected by it.
Endometriosis is an inflammatory, chronic illness without a cure, in which tissue that is similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it in other parts of the body. It impacts 1 in 7 people by age 49 who are assigned female at birth.
Essentially, endometriosis is a chewing gum-like tissue that can stick organs together and to other parts of the body. It can be a serious health concern, causing organ dysfunction, fertility challenges and fused organs. It can cause “life-altering pain” [1] to those who suffer with it and it can result in lung damage, organ dysfunction, fused organs and infertility.
Endometriosis is a whole body, systemic disease. Unfortunately, it is a very common disease that gets dismissed because symptoms are so variable and difficult to diagnose as a result.
Common symptoms of endometriosis are:
- Painful and debilitating periods - Periods that interrupt work school or your day-to day activities are not normal and are not ok, as a result can be an indicator of endometriosis.
- Pain during or after sex – This can be a sign of inflammation or scar tissue from the disease around the rectum and vagina i.e the area is more restricted and inflamed so any activity can aggravate and cause significant pain.
- Painful bowel movements - Alternating between constipation and diarrhoea. Endometriosis can affect the bowel in two main forms; superficial (disease found on the surface of the bowel) and deep infiltrated (when it has penetrated the bowel wall). I myself had superficial disease that was removed (shaved) from my bowel. Some signs of endo on the bowel could be pain on opening your bowels, pain during sex and at times rectal bleeding.
- Lower back pain - Disease tissue can grow in or around the nerves in the back causing intense pain.
- Bladder issues such as painful urination - Like the bowel, disease tissue can grow around the bladder causing painful symptoms
Painful sex isn’t always top of the list when it comes to conversations we want to have with our partners! But what I would say is, the more you know about your body - both physically and sexually - the easier you’ll find it to communicate to your partner when something doesn’t feel the best or is uncomfortable.
Talking about what does and doesn’t work for you is a great way of increasing pleasure and bonding with your partner. If you’re open with them about what you’re feeling or what you’ve perhaps experienced in the past this can give both people more insight into how they’re feeling help you to find different ways you can continue to be intimate whilst making it comfortable.
Recently, a YES lubricant was recommended to me by my pelvic health physio to help with pelvic pain, pain during and after sex. I think because disease has lived within me for over twenty years, there is not only scar tissue from surgeries, but there is also a lot of tension from pain and certain organs being compromised. Anything that can help with that tension or inflammation is hugely beneficial for endo sufferers, it certainly was for me!
Advice on what women can do if they think they have endometriosis
- Track your symptoms and how you feel, either by diarising in a tool like frendo or by writing it down.
- If you feel something is not normal, trust yourself and find a doctor you can trust and who will listen.
- Go to your appointments as empowered as you can with as much information as possible around how you have been feeling and what you would like from them.
- Your doctor may suggest some tests like a scan, an MRI or a laparoscopy, which is still the gold standard in diagnosing and in treating endometriosis. It is minimally invasive surgery, but it is still surgery so make sure you feel it is right for you and that is performed by an endometriosis expert.
- You are the CEO of your own health, so you make the decisions that are right for you.
This article was written by Dearbhail, CEO & Founder of frendo – An app that supports endo sufferers to track their symptoms, create healthy routines and find a community that offers support and understanding.
