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  • Writer's pictureIsabelle Salami

Endometriosis UK hosts webinar about sex, sex and more sex… and it was brilliant!

176 million womxn worldwide suffer from a long-term condition called endometriosis. Besides causing heavy, painful periods and even IBS flare-ups, it can have a significant impact on your sex life, and can be the main decider as to whether you endure sex or avoid it.




"However, there is light at the end of the tunnel"


However, there is light at the end of the tunnel as Hannah Beecham, Clinical Lead of the Pelvic Health team and Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner at Royal Free London NHS Trust, gives her top tips on how to relieve your endo symptoms and become a freak in the sheets once again.


On Tuesday this week, Endometriosis UK, a charity that seeks to provide information and support for womxn suffering with endometriosis, teamed up with Hannah Beecham to host a webinar all about endometriosis and the impact that it can have on sex.


It comes after a survey conducted by the BBC revealed that out of 13,500 womxn with endometriosis in the UK, nearly all said that it had badly affected their career, sex life and mental health. The study also revealed that there is a seven-to-eight-year delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis from the onset of symptoms.


Statistics show that one in 10 womxn of reproductive age in the UK suffer from endometriosis.


Symptoms vary from womxn to womxn, but, according to Beecham, the symptoms mostly associated with endometriosis are: “common bladder, bowel and pelvic pain symptoms.”

Beecham advises that you should get a referral from your GP if you experience: “any leakage, any urgency or any trouble emptying – that could be bladder or bowel.”


A further symptom experienced by two out of three womxn with endometriosis is pain during or after sex (dyspareunia) alongside bleeding during sex and painful orgasms (dysorgasmia), Beecham stated in the webinar.


Beecham says that these distressing symptoms experienced during sex can “activate a negative feedback system resulting in minimal arousal and little to no sexual satisfaction with partners.” This can cause a loss of self-esteem and feelings of guilt and embarrassment for womxn with the condition.


Statistics from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) have shown that between 70% - 80% of womxn with endo will not orgasm with penetration due to the discomfort and lack of sexual intimacy.


The lack of arousal can also “reduce lubrication during sex and lower the chances of orgasm,” further limiting the sexual intimacy between partners. Some womxn in the webinar with the condition even admitted that the pain endured during sex isn’t worth the climax or the orgasm.


In the webinar, Beecham gave her three “top tips” to help improve discomfort during sex caused by endo symptoms; “sex isn’t just about penetration. There are other ways to help you enjoy sex with your partner and reduce the sensitivity of your vagina to help ease your symptoms”.


“Sex isn’t just about penetration. There are other ways to help you enjoy sex with your partner and reduce the sensitivity of your vagina to help ease your symptoms”.


The physiotherapist practitioner says that, when initiating sex, “external touch, lubricant and an enjoyable environment can all help bring back that sexual intimacy that may have been lost”.


She also claims that “gentle sex” can help reduce endometriosis pain and improve symptoms, similar to how sex can ease period pains. Sex is particularly effective for area where they may be adhesions (scar tissues).


Beecham further recommends the careful use of devices and sex toys to help relieve tensions in the pelvic floor muscles, which often “tense up and become tight in people who have endometriosis,” adding to the discomfort experienced during sex.

Endometriosis (or “endo” for short) is a chronic condition where cells, similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus), grow outside of the uterus, usually in the pelvic area.


Medications such as the pill, progesterone and some testosterone derivatives, are offered to womxn to help relieve endo symptoms, but, as with most meds, there are side effects. These can include fatigue and nausea which may lower the sexual intimacy in the bedroom even more.


Although the condition occurs most frequently in womxn, endometriosis can, in rare and extreme cases, also occur in men.


Many womxn who suffer from endo are faced with the difficult decision between enduring painful sex in an attempt to experience intimacy with their partner or avoid sex altogether.


Endometriosis can be distressing and upsetting, there are ways to help relieve the pain and discomfort that comes with the condition, and Beecham’s “top tips”, including external touch, lubricant and the use of devices, will no doubt help you relight that fire in the bedroom and bring your sex back to life.

 

She Her Them magazine are not medical professionals. Please consult your GP if you think you have symptoms of endometriosis or are having concerns about any medications you are taking to relieve your endometriosis symptoms.





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