Blog - Women's Therapy Center

Voiding & sex

02 Aug 2009 Posted by womentc in Sexual Dysfunction, Women's Health

Many years ago it was believed that voiding (urinating) before and after having intercourse will guard against developing a urinary tract infection (UTI), sending women running in and out of bathrooms at a frantic pace. But was it urine in the system that caused the infection,...

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Fingering?

28 Jul 2009 Posted by womentc in Vaginismus Blog

When women are being asked if they masturbate, they typically associate it with their ability/desire for 'finger in vagina.' The truth: female masturbation is about clitoral stimulation regardless of vaginal action. In other words, inasmuch as vaginal penetration may enhance the arousal, it is not mandatory...

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Tampon removal

02 Jul 2009 Posted by womentc in Women's Health

Do I need to remove the tampon before going to the bathroom? The tampon sits in the vaginal canal and is not directly affected by either urination or defecation, but the string may get soiled. That said, you can easily proceed with voiding first and changing...

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Anxious gyno exam

26 Jun 2009 Posted by womentc in Vaginismus Blog

The reflexive reaction during gynecologic exam is to tighten up the pelvic floor (PC muscles) as the clinician is about to 'go in.' The physical fact is that the more you tighten up, the more discomfort you will feel. So, what is the trick? Minimizing this reflexive...

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Guiding the penis?

27 May 2009 Posted by womentc in Vaginismus Blog

Do women need to guide the penis toward their vagina when having sexual intercourse or can the penis find its own way in? Generally speaking, the penis has a built-in GPS and can find its way without guidance, aided by the V-shape of the pelvis that...

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Vaginal applicator – how to

18 May 2009 Posted by womentc in Menopause & Painful Sex, Women's Health

(This post was updated in December 2014, and again in May 2016)A vaginal applicator is used for inserting different preparations into the vagina: medication (i.e. Monistat for infection), hormones (i.e. estrogen, such as Premarin or Estrace), lubricants (i.e. Replens), etc.Some applicator come pre-loaded and are...

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Intercourse & bleeding

06 May 2009 Posted by womentc in Menopause & Painful Sex, Painful Sex (Dyspareunia), Sexual Dysfunction, Vaginismus Blog, Women's Health

An updated version of this post dated November 11, 2020, is available here Not all bleeding/spotting after intercourse suggest a medical crisis. Common, everyday causes may include: Chafing irritation because of dryness/insufficient lubrication. You have vaginismus or dyspareunia -- your vagina is tight (nervous), causing chafing irritation. ...

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Doing ‘it’ wrong?

01 May 2009 Posted by womentc in Vaginismus Blog

A repeated question by many patients: "Am I doing it wrong? I cannot have intercourse." And more questions: Is he trying to get into the wrong hole (vagina)? Maybe I do not have a hole (vagina)? Are we doing it in a wrong position? The truth is...

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Love gyno exam?

21 Apr 2009 Posted by womentc in Vaginismus Blog

Who loves going to the doctor for a gynecologic (pelvic) exam? Nobody really, just like not loving going to the dentist and having all that work done in the mouth. But, we do them all for health reasons, for preventive or corrective medical intervention. Gyno exams...

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Tampon – how to?

11 Apr 2009 Posted by womentc in Women's Health

How do you know that the tampon is in properly? Is the tampon in too deep? Not deep enough? Do these questions sound dumb? Not at all -- we hear them all day long from our patients. Luckily, the answers are simple. Consider these quick tips: Put some...