Last time and in our first Mojo post, we explored one of the first things to look for when experiencing painful sex, your flexibility. If you're worried about pelvic floor health in general, read on! Here are two more things to look out for and don't be afraid to reach out for help - so many of us don't and we should. The amazing Amanda Savage is a physiotherapist specialising in pelvic floor and women's health, visit her site, Supported Mums, for more information, tips and her all-important contact details.
2. Do you have enough lubrication?
Painful sex can be caused by a lack of vaginal lubrication. All the hormone changes of pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding can change our natural production of essential body fluids in the vagina area. Couple this with lower libido and rushed foreplay and then sex feels sore as body parts struggle to slide and glide past each other.
Forget KY Jelly. There are now some beautifully packaged, organic, pH balanced personal lubricants which can enhance your love life and help keep you moisturised and comfortable.
YES is the first organic (yes, organic!) lubricant on the market and it's certified by the Soil Association, no less.
3. doing the right squeeze...
Do your pelvic floor muscles just ‘squeeze’ or actually create some grip and tone?
Women don’t have that many nerve endings inside the vagina. Inside, we feel ‘pressure’ and ‘deep touch’ more than light sensations. The sexual pleasure we feel comes from the rubbing and build up of friction of the penis against the vaginal walls. The vaginal walls at the base and the sides are layered with the pelvic floor muscles.
Clues that lack of pelvic floor tone might be a problem for you are:
- It just feels a bit dull and boring inside during sex
- You want to try to grip but nothing happens
- You feel there is too much room inside (you might also notice this with using tampons)
If you think this might be a problem for you:
- make pelvic floor muscle training a focus for few weeks trying to make some impact on your muscle tone;
- concentrate on getting a good technique (check out our next post in the series)
- and perhaps MOST importantly! Then you have to do ENOUGH exercises to make the muscle change and grow.
You've got this, Mama.
Find out how to do the right pelvic floor exercises in our next post with Amanda. More information at Supported Mums.
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