Intimate relationships are very natural and liberating. Such a healthy expression of love, sensuality and desire. If you are one of the millions of women who live with pain during intimate relationships, you know that it is painful, it is scary, and it is a chore. Don't give up just yet. There is hope for curing pain during intimate relationships from vulvar vestibulitis and vulvodynia, which are a real but treatable chronic pain condition.
What is Vulvodynia?
Vulvodynia is a medical term used to describe chronic vaginal pain with no discernible medical cause. It's one of the most irritating conditions diagnosed because it tells you nothing but the obvious: Intimate relationships hurt.
What is Vulvar Vestibulitis?
Vulvar vestibulitis is a type of vulvodynia where pain during intercourse is concentrated at the entrance to the vagina. Symptoms of vulvar vestibulitis include redness and swelling at the vaginal entrance, thickening of the vulvar skin, itching and pain during tampon insertion, intercourse, cycling, and in severe cases, even sitting down.
Causes of pain during intercourse
Pain during intimate relationships is part physical and part psychological. When vaginal pain starts, it can feel like a bad night. You and your partner try to have sex the way you usually do (or maybe try something new) and it hurts. It is uncomfortable. You stop and go to sleep, feeling unsatisfied and confused.
The pain you feel is very real. Vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis are often caused by an overgrowth of yeast and bacteria in the vagina. Chronic yeast infection and chronic bacterial vaginosis are caused by lower gut bacteria.
A poor diet, overuse of pain relievers, birth control pills, antibiotics, stress, and trauma all contribute to an imbalance of healthy gut flora.
Without this balance of gut flora, disease and chronic pain are the result. Sometimes it develops within an autoimmune disease such as chronic fatigue syndrome or Crohn's disease.
When relationships are painful one or more times, this is no longer a spontaneous and pleasant experience. It is something to be feared. You don't want to be afraid. You love the person you are with and you want to enjoy all the advantages that your relationship has to offer, but your brain has been suddenly connected to the fear of facing this situation, and it is not for less.
Even if the pain caused by your vulvodynia is not that bad on a particular night, you will still doubt and feel anxious when the matter of relationships is brought up. This anxiety hangs like a cloud over your relationship and slowly dissolves you from the inside out.
Vulvar vestibulitis and vulvodynia causes and natural remedies
When you experience pain in intimate relationships, you want a cure and you want it now. It is understandable. And it is through trial and error that you may be able to find out how to treat vulvar vestibulitis naturally. There are cases, in which vulvar vestibulitis occurs as a result of intolerances, for example, to gluten and has not been diagnosed, due to autoimmune dysfunctions, low intestinal bacteria and stress. Start doing this to treat it.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is very rich in caprylic acid, which has powerful antifungal and antibacterial properties. Take one to two tablespoons of organic extra virgin coconut oil each day. (It should smell like coconut).
Oregano oil
Oil of oregano is a medicinal grade edible essential oil that is grown from a wild species of oregano, especially in the Mediterranean. There are a multitude of conditions that oregano oil treats, but the most famous use is its ability to kill infections in the body.
Most organisms cannot survive when exposed to the powerful phenols (carvacrol and thymol) that are the active ingredient in this oregano oil. Oil of oregano is an extremely powerful natural antibiotic. Drinking oregano oil is great for your health, but it can also burn your lips and stomach. When you drink it, always use a straw and don't drink it on an empty stomach. If the pure oil is too much for you, you can also take it in capsule form or with another base oil such as coconut.
Apple cider vinegar
Organic apple cider vinegar is a great vestibulitis treatment because it is loaded with good bacteria that help clear vaginal infections. Drink one to two teaspoons each day on an empty stomach for best results. You can also use raw VSM as a natural treatment for bacterial vaginosis. Take a shower with a VSM mixture in a hot water bath with a cup of apple cider vinegar and hot water for twenty minutes.
Saw Palmetto - Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Repens)
Saw Palmetto also called Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Repens) is an herbal supplement most commonly associated with treating prostate disease in men, but research has shown that it can also help treat women with chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Saw palmetto works by relieving external inflammation.
Chelated magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is the most common mineral deficiency in the world. According to clinical research, chelated magnesium can help treat any chronic pain condition naturally. Helps treat pain, anxiety, constipation, and insomnia.
Probiotics
Pobiotics are essential for good health and are a must if you are going to cure your vulvodynia. Just make sure you choose the right probiotic. Lately, probiotics have become popular, just review very well because the more marketed the supplement the less quality it has. For best results, go to a health food store and buy a good quality probiotic without synthetic preservatives.
Peroxide
Here it is where it gets interesting. The use of peroxide for vulvar vestibulitis and similar ailments is quite controversial, but before doing so of course you should take due precautions to test another part of your body to see that there are no unpleasant side effects. In fact, in some cases it works really great. Every month after your cycle, pour ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide into four ounces of warm water and use it as a shower. Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria in your vagina, and helps heal the source of your chronic pain.
Neem oil
Neem oil is a 100% natural antifungal topical that can be used in and around your delicate vaginal tissues to relieve pain and discomfort. Not only does it moisten dry, irritated tissue, it helps treat the cause of vulvodynia by killing bacteria. It can be used alone to treat pain or as a functional sexual lubricant.
Vaginal dilators
Vaginal dilators are designed for women with vulvodynia and vaginismus to help stretch and tone the vaginal muscles. The use of vaginal dilators also helps desensitize that feeling of anxiety in intimate relationships.
Start with the smallest dilator until adjusted to a size that increases your comfort level. Never use latex products as they can cause an allergic reaction and worsen pain and discomfort.
Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises, also called pelvic floor exercises, are ideal for those who suffer from vulvar vestibulitis. The purpose of these exercises is not only to tighten loose muscles, but to actually tone them as well, which makes for more comfort during intercourse.
Painful relationships (dyspareunia) are much more common than you think. It is estimated that 1 in 4 women experience pelvic pain at some point in their lives. You are definitely not alone. Try these natural treatments for vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis and see if they work for you.
One final note: Pay close attention to your diet. If you eat a lot of processed foods full of preservatives, additives, and sugar, your chronic pain condition will worsen. Eat plenty of whole, nutritious foods so your body has a chance to do what it does best - heal itself.
Without excess injury being caused by reactive O species, the inflammatory processes of the body don’t need to be wont to repair injury as often. This reduces inflammation levels within the body. A pleasing aspect impact of these medication edges is that people with chronic pain could notice a discount in pain additionally.