Birth trauma: this is what it’s called when a woman suffers distress with a difficult birth associated with pain, sorrow or loss, leaving her vulnerable to long-term psychological effects. How to love your body after birth trauma is probably the last thing on your mind at this point. Seeking psychological care and support is [...]
Traumatic birth can affect you both mentally and physically. The physical aspects of traumatic birth are varied, and include painful stitches, perineal swelling, wound infection, and loss of bladder or bowel control or prolapse of your internal organs (both of which can be immediate, or not show up until later). Later, when you try [...]
A traumatic birth can be cataclysmic. To describe a traumatic birth as a cataclysm may sound overly dramatic to some, but in reality it is deadly accurate. A cataclysm is an event that causes significant destruction or a sudden, violent change, and a traumatic birth matches both of these definitions. There are many forms [...]
If there’s one thing I know about pudendal neuralgia, it’s that it comes with a certain amount of obligatory “pudendal neuralgia panic”. Pudendal neuralgia panic is the distressing feeling that arises when you, as a person recently diagnosed with pudendal neuralgia, Google it and read about the sufferings of others with pudendal neuralgia. Suddenly [...]
It can sometimes feel like hard work feeling happy about your body in vaginismus. Not being able to accommodate your partner’s penis so you can both enjoy intercourse can be frustrating and disappointing. Attempting sex becomes a chore, and sometimes emotionally traumatic. Feelings of contentment about your body are often nowhere in sight. When [...]
Pelvic pain in endometriosis: you might have period pain, pain with sex, pain with bowel motions, or just plain pain with no clear trigger. People don’t understand how bad you can feel. You might go through stages of feeling okay, and being able to do some stuff. And then the pain really hits you [...]
Beyond its critical roles in brain function and heart health, estrogen keeps your vulva and vagina happy. Specifically, it helps vaginal lubrication, vaginal immune health and bladder and urethral health. Low estrogen can contribute to all kinds of genital problems. There are at least five reasons why your doctor might recommend you try using [...]
A tour of the vulva may sound like a strange concept. But many women (and men) have a few gaps in their knowledge as far as the vulva goes. This video might help. (It's ok if you don't know what the vulva is. It's the area downstairs, the area between your legs. Where your vagina [...]
So you're struggling with painful sex. I bet you didn't think of physiotherapy for this! This might come as a surprise, but physiotherapy might be exactly what you need to solve your problems with painful sex. I've written a lot about this, but if you want to avoid reading to much, I have summed up [...]
The anatomy of the pelvis and vulva can be confusing. How are you supposed to know when no one even really talks about it? I have created this 5-minute video to help. I give you a bit of a tour through the vulva, using a 3-D model of the pelvis to make it all make [...]
