Let's Talk About Sex

People are willing to seek answers for non-sexual problems with their physical health, but they often forget that sexual health is an important (and treatable) part of their physical health. A well-known study (published by Rosen, Laumann and Paik in 1999) showed that approximately 43 percent of women have some type of sexual difficulty during their lifetime.

Sallie Foley, LMSW, director of the Center of Sexual Health at the University of Michigan Health System, often has patients who seek help after they have been dealing with a problem for more than a year or sometimes even more than a decade.

Foley says that throughout their lives women are used to thinking of their genitals as functioning parts of their bodies—through periods, pregnancies and even menopause. Some women don’t question having pain during sexual experiences, but the truth is that sex should not be painful. Pain during sex is an indication that something is wrong.

Women can experience pain during sex for many reasons—some of them are medically based and others are not. Foley says that muscles are smart. If they have experienced some pain during sex, they may be tense the next time. She compares it to how people tense up when they’re driving on an icy road. They may have some anxiety about what they will experience.

Low lubrication can be another reason that sex is painful. There are certain times that women may experience this, like after the birth of a baby or sometimes the time of the month is a factor. There are topical lubricants to help with this problem.