You're Not Alone
Having trouble with sex and sexuality postpartum? You're not the only one having issues in the bedroom department. A recent study by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) found that more than half of postpartum women have sexual dysfunction, and the harder part is that most of these women received no guidance on postpartum sexual function.
These women often suffer in silence, embarrassed to talk about sexual matters or preoccupied with caring for a newborn. Over time, delaying or failing to address the issue may lead to long-term complications in reproductive health and sexual life. Unfortunately, most women with postpartum sexual dysfunction don't return to pre-pregnancy levels of function on their own.
What Sexual Dysfunction Looks Like
Female sexual dysfunction is defined as an impaired or inadequate ability to engage in or enjoy satisfactory sexual intercourse and orgasm. In postpartum women, this can show up as low sexual desire, painful sex (dyspareunia), impaired or absent arousal, and difficulty achieving orgasm (anorgasmia).
These forms of dysfunction are likely associated with pelvic floor disorders, any dysfunction of the muscles surrounding the female sexual organ can affect sexual function. That's why it's important for any woman having sexual difficulty, postpartum or not, to have a pelvic assessment. The good news is that these dysfunctions are, more often than not, treatable.
What Treatment Looks Like
A physical therapist who specializes in pelvic health, an expert in muscles and movement, can offer a thorough physical assessment of the lower body, including the pelvic muscles, to check for tightness, weakness, or incoordination, as well as pelvic mobility.
They can also provide education on pelvic floor dysfunctions and their correlation with female sexual dysfunctions, and develop a coordinated, individualized exercise program aimed at restoring strength and mobility and improving sexual function.
If you need to talk about sex and sexuality postpartum, Tribeca Physical Therapy is open for in-person physical therapy sessions and continues to offer Telehealth PT, or Virtual PT. Call us at (212) 406-8080 or message us to schedule your first session.