Female Sexual Conditions
When we talk about female sexual conditions, we’re referring to sexual health matters experienced by those with a vagina. And female sexual health refers to the overall well-being of women (and those assigned female at birth) regarding their sexual function and satisfaction. It encompasses various aspects, including libido, arousal, sensation, pleasure and orgasm.
Sexual pleasure is the feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment experienced during sexual activity. It’s a culmination of desire, interest, arousal and sensation. And for everyone, sexual pleasure is a combination of physical, emotional and mental factors. Of course, it varies throughout our lives. Sometimes, it’s reduced, while at other times, there’s increased and even unwanted genital arousal.
Desire, libido, sensation and your experience of sex are influenced by life stages and changes occurring in your body. They are a product of hormones, thoughts, emotions, joints, muscles and nerves – it’s VERY complex. From adolescence to pregnancy and early parenthood to older age, our sexual relationship with ourselves and with others can change enormously. They can fluctuate over a day, week, month, year and a lifetime.
It’s never ‘just’ culture, ‘just’ biology or frankly, ‘just’ anything. It’s always the interaction of everything happening in a person’s life at that time. Anything that impacts your body, such as having a baby, becoming a new parent or entering menopause, can directly affect every aspect of your sex life.
You might find yourself worried about bladder leakage during sex, concerned about prolapse, or maybe things just don't feel like they used to. Left untreated, though, these feelings and conditions can be frustrating, embarrassing and can impact your relationship or confidence.
It’s incredibly common for people to experience changes in how they experience sexuality with themselves and/or with a partner. Issues such as reduced libido or desire, poor sensation and satisfaction, difficulty with orgasm or pain with sex occur more often than you think.
We’re here to help
You may be embarrassed to talk about your sexual health (or perhaps it doesn’t bother you that much), but your sexual health is as important as other aspects of your health – and the good news is we’re here to help. Our postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapists can help treat sexual conditions, so there’s no need to suffer in silence. Most people experiencing issues with their sex life can be helped. And at Pelvic Health Matters, we’re here to help you.
Issues such as reduced libido or desire, poor sensation and satisfaction, difficulty with orgasm or pain with sex occur more often than you think. But the good news is that we can help.
Common signs & symptoms of female sexual conditions
Everyone is different, but if you suffer from issues with sexual health issues, you’re probably familiar with some of the following:
- Reduced or inability to achieve orgasm
- Poor vaginal sensation compared to earlier in your life
- Poor lubrication during sex
- No libido or desire for sex
- Feeling worried or anxious about sex
- Feeling concerned about intimacy with your partner
- Avoiding entering into a relationship
- Persistent genital arousal
Risk factors & causes of female sexual conditions
- Pregnancy
- Childbirth
- Perineal tear or epistiotomy
- Poor pelvic floor muscle function
- Diabetes & Heart Disease
- Menopause
- Pelvic pain
- Things that have occurred in the past, such as trauma or abuse
- Urinary Tract Infection
- Stress & Anxiety
- Relationship problems
- Ageing
- Hormonal changes
- Pelvic surgery, e.g. Hysterectomy
- Neurological conditions, e.g. Multiple Sclerosis
- Concerns about sexual performance
Our Proven Pathway for Treating Female Sexual Conditions
Discover what matters
You’re assessed as a whole person
We begin by taking the time to learn all about you—as a whole person, not just a patient. So, your postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapist will gather the following information:
- QUESTIONNAIRE: You’ll complete a pelvic health questionnaire online before your first visit. This helps us understand your history, current health concerns and what matters to you.
- 1-on-1 CONSULTATION: Here, we’ll take the time to learn about you and your sexual concerns. We believe a holistic approach enables us to understand how your specific physical, emotional and lifestyle factors influence your pelvic health.
- THOROUGH ASSESSMENT: This includes an examination of your spine, pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, and pelvic joints and muscles. You’ll also complete questionnaires about your thoughts, feelings and environment.
- CONNECTING THE DOTS: Now that we’ve discovered so much about you and your sexual problems, we can explore how it all fits together. For example, we might look at how your weak, stretched pelvic floor, along with your hormonal change, may impact sexual pleasure or how your sensitised nervous system and tight pelvic floor can play a role in persistent genital arousal.
- SET GOALS: We’ll help you set meaningful pelvic health goals, such as:
- Find pleasure again in my sexual relationship (with my partner and myself)
- Experience better sexual sensation and orgasm
- Feel confident to express my sexuality however I choose
- Reduce the sensation of persistent arousal
Restore what matters
You’ll have a personalised pelvic health plan.
The second step is where we get to work. Together, we’ll choose the best research-proven treatment options that fit your lifestyle. You’ll learn how the mind and body work together in sex and intimacy, what’s normal, what's getting in the way for you and what the options are to address it.
Next, we’ll start Pelvic Floor Muscle Training. You’ll learn new skills and connect with these super-important muscles that you may not have realised play an essential role in sex. We'll give you an individualised program based on your needs. And you’ll learn how to use your pelvic floor muscles to enhance sexual sensation and satisfaction.
We’ll also help you understand and address other physical issues that might be impacting your sexual satisfaction, such as hormonal changes, spinal or pelvic pain. We’ll identify thoughts and feelings about sex that might be impacting your sexual health issue.
And to top it all off, we’ll give you excellent resources and tools to help you with your progress.
ABOUT YOUR APPOINTMENTS: Together, we’ll work out how often we should see each other. We’ll agree on what works best for you, your commitments and your finances.
Enjoy what matters
You’ll be living your best life.
The final step focuses on helping you achieve the meaningful goals you set at the start of your journey. You might also discover you can embrace new possibilities that you hadn’t imagined, such as beginning a new relationship or exploring new ways of enjoying intimacy. By this stage, you'll have all the skills, knowledge and confidence to navigate through all intimate situations – without needing ongoing appointments.
Sometimes, though, life’s unexpected events might mean you need to return for a quick reset. You may experience a hormonal change, or your emotional health deteriorates, and your libido is impacted. Whatever the case, we’ll always be here to help you.
Read about Hazel 55 yrs, Gwen 68 yrs
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Pelvic Health Matters
New name.
Same exceptional care.
Formerly known as Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy, our new name reflects both what we believe in and what we do. We have an unwavering belief that pelvic health matters for everyone, at every stage of life.
Same phone number: 03 8823 8300
New email: physio@pelvichealth.com.au