Your sex life and reproductive health are two separate realities, that sometimes overlap.
In many situations, living with a reproductive health condition may make it more difficult to have an engaging sex life. And it doesn’t help that women’s health conditions are oftentimes so stigmatized as to not be mentioned often at all.
Here are four conditions that can impact both your sex life and reproductive health.
Endometriosis
According to Mayo Clinic, “Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus.” This condition affects 2 to 10 percent of the population, and can include symptoms such as painful periods, pain with intercourse, excessive bleeding and nausea. This can be an extremely difficult condition to cope with. For more information, resources, and support, you can visit the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s website.
Obstetric Fistula
With fewer than 200,000 cases in the United States per year, women who struggle with Obstetric Fistula often feel as if they are fighting alone. According to the Fistula Foundation, “An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that is caused by prolonged obstructed labor, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or feces or both.” Women with this condition often go through labor that lasts three or more days. This condition is common for women in low-resource countries who do not have access to medical services during labor. More resources can be found here.
Vaginismus
It is estimated that only 1 in 500 individuals experience Vaginismus, which is “vaginal tightness causing discomfort, burning, pain, penetration problems, or complete inability to have intercourse.” This condition often makes it difficult for many women to have a satisfying sex life. For more information and resources, visit this website.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
According to Planned Parenthood, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is “a serious infection that harms a woman’s reproductive organs [that] develops when an infection spreads up from the vagina and cervix into the fallopian tubes, uterus, and ovaries.” The United States Department of Health and Human services reported that in 2013, only around 88,000 women were affected by this condition. This condition often comes with extremely challenging symptoms such as fevers, pain, irregular periods, and in serious cases, infertility.
Although these are not conditions brought up in everyday conversation, they are the reality for women all around the world. Reproductive health conditions can majorly impact a women’s life. Support, awareness, and research are all things individuals can do to help combat these conditions. For more information on women’s reproductive health, click here.
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