Know Thy Pussy As Thyself. Are You Experiencing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction And Don't Know It?
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.
It's a clinical term that sounds simple, and I guess in essence it is! Dysfunction of the pelvic anatomy and functions of said anatomy.
But it's also incredibly complex in the fact that PF dysfunction can show up in a multitude of ways we might actually consider “normal experiences” that just come due to life with a vagina.
Leaking when we sneeze, jump, cough, etc
Burning during sex (regularly or occasionally)
Lack of vaginal lubrication
Low back, hip, and knee pain (though it ripples into the whole body)
Internal and external pain points
Numbness internally and externally
Muscular weakness/tension
SI Joint Dysfunction
Organ prolapse and twisting
Trouble orgasming
Pain with orgasm
Painful menstruation
Bladder and bowel issues (urge to void when there's no need, trouble/straining to void when there is, feeling incomplete in voiding, irritation and sensitivity, etc)
Hip misalignment issues (tipped, twisted, and off balance pelvic bones)
Infertility
Hemorrhoids, cysts, fibroids, varicose veins, etc
Anxiety and depression (yes, our emotions are influenced by our pelvic health)
Catastrophic and fearful thinking
Just to name a few…
Kind of scary, right?
Even more scary is the fact that most women are so used to these things, they may not even register them as issues anymore! May not even be aware of them happening.
I see a lot of reasons for this.
Some of it’s due to the fact that many of us aren't taught how to observe and experience our bodies anymore. We feel the beginnings of pain or discomfort and we take a pill, have a drink, redirect our focus from our body back into our head, and basically put our body on mute for various reasons.
Some of it is a lack of body education! We might experience sensations, feel discomfort, or have a change in lubrication or discharge, but we don't know what they mean. And if we go to a medical professional, half the time they tell us it's just part of life anyway. Or they give us a pill for it! Or tell us when it gets bad enough they'll do surgery.
Sometimes we have a resolution, but many times we don't.
Article after article can be found with women dealing with chronic dysfunction that has failed to respond successfully to traditional medical treatment, and these women's lives have shifted to accommodate the dysfunction with no hope of ever seeing it resolved.
Things like pain with intercourse, changes in vaginal discharge and lubrication levels, changes in vaginal sensation and orgasmic ability, changes in libido, anything off of the list at the beginning!
The deeper I take my education, the more evident this gross lack of body education and excessive incorrect education is rearing its ugly head.
It's moved me to tears more than once to see the impact that has in the lives of women all over the world. Myself included!
It obviously affects our bodies, our emotions, our careers, and it also affects our relationships... Our relationship to ourselves included!
The way we view our body, the way we feel about our sensuality and sexuality, this spills into our pursuit of hobbies, recreational activities, and even just the way we present ourselves out in public or in the boardroom.
Take for example the woman who deals with bladder issues or bowel issues. Feeling like she needs to go all the time, or not getting the signals that she needs to go and then all the sudden it's the rush to get to the bathroom before stuff starts spilling out!
This can create social anxiety, lack of confidence in being able to do things outside of the house or away from the immediate vicinity of the bathroom. This can also create problems with intimacy as it can be really difficult to surrender to pleasure in your body and the experience of intimacy with a partner if you're worried about leaking or needing to pause your pleasure session to run to the bathroom real quick.
My own bladder issues actually caused a lot of sensitivity in my vaginal canal and sometimes intercourse was just plain uncomfortable and made me feel like I had to pee the whole time!
And not in an exciting “I'm about to have an ejaculate orgasm” kind of way... But more the “my bladder is about to explode, my pussy feels raw, and I'm going to punch you in the throat if you don't stop!” kind of way.
Not very conducive to soul sex and regular intimacy.