As we all know, sex is one of the commonest desires of men and women alike. With passing times, the taboo regarding sexual issues is slowly getting blurred and many women are ready to discuss the issue with their doctors, physicians, and in online forums. Women’s life is no doubt filled to the brim with varied milestones that start right from the onset of her menstrual cycle. Thereafter she undergoes pregnancy, child-rearing, menopausal blues, and various problems pertaining to these periods.

Among all the problems, she dreads the problems that occur during sexual intercourse. This is because the sex is the thing that is very close to her heart and so is her partner. The sex for her is not mere physical thing but a blend of physical and emotional pleasure and therefore, those are the happy women who enjoy their sex life.

Comprehending the common problems during intercourse can help a woman understand her problems and she can take appropriate treatment for the same. Let’s see the problems-

1) Pain during coitus- it is termed dyspareunia in medical terms. This is one of the commonest conditions encountered by women during intercourse. Well, those women who encounter some degree of pain during initial period after marriage do not have much reason to worry because such pain is common and diminishes after a few days of regular intercourse. So the girls and women out there on their honeymoons need not fret the pain during coitus.

But those women who continue to have pain during sex need to visit good gynecologist so that the cause can be found and treated appropriately.

There may be vaginal infections like Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, etc.

There might be vaginismus during coitus leading to spasmodic contraction of vagina thus causing pain. This may be attributed to the emotional discomfort, a kind of fearful attitude towards sex or may be due to some vaginal infections also. Appropriate anti-infective treatment can put an end to your woes and you can enjoy your sex.Endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and polyps can also give rise to pain during intercourse. The gynecologist advice and treatment are must for these cases.

2) Bleeding during or after intercourse- there are many women who have a great act of love and suddenly find themselves bleeding heavily. One thing is sure that these women must get their gynecological investigations done from experts because this may be the sign of some underlying problems like cervicitis, sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, cervical polyps, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroid, and cervical cancer. However, if such bleeding occurs in post-menopausal woman without any positive investigation report, be sure that it occurred due to dryness of vagina due to hormonal depletion. An appropriate hormone replacement therapy is what such women need and can very well restore normal sexual function thereafter.

3) Urinary incontinence- there are women who experience dribbling urine during or after coitus. This is an embarrassing situation but pretty common than it is thought to be. Some women complain of urinary incontinence during penetration and some complain it only after they get orgasm. The irritable bladder or weakness at the neck of bladder may be the likely cause. However, the exact cause still eludes in most women. Emptying bladder just before coitus may help. Don’t indulge in caffeinated drinks before coitus. If there is leakage of urine also during other times, you may be having a problem of urinary incontinence due to fistulae occurred during delivery. Consult your gynecologist for further evaluation.

4) some or the other minor problems like post-coital headaches or semen allergies may occur though are rare as compared to above mentioned symptoms and can be treated accordingly. Emotional problems related to disharmonized coitus may occur in couples with any kind of discord. Psychotherapy and counseling can help resolve these problems.

Thus, venting out your sexual problem at least in front of gynecologist is the crux of receiving appropriate treatment. You definitely do not want to waste your sex life due to these problems. Get treated and enjoy normal sex again!

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Wanting a child is a basic need for many women. After months or years of trying to conceive without success, the unhappy couple seeks medical advice. In about 1/3 of the cases the problem is caused by the woman’s infertility. In 1/3 of the cases the male partner is the one with fertility issues.

The remaining 1/3 is a mixed bag of women’s, men’s and unknown factors. Checking for the reasons of infertility can be a long tedious process. Usually tests of fertility are first conducted using blood work and in the man, semen testing. The doctors will look at overall health, hormonal levels in both woman and man, and any evidence of infection. From there, the woman will undergo a complete physical.

Looking at the issues of irregular periods or none at all, very painful periods, pelvic inflammatory disease and having more than one miscarriage are all necessary in the detective work to find the reason for a woman’s infertility.

In most cases of the woman’s infertility, the major cause is lack of ovulation. The fallopian tubes have not released an egg to be fertilized. This can be caused by a fallopian tube blocked by infection or inflammation. The cause could also be a fallopian tube blocked by scar tissue from an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that occurs inside the fallopian tube which requires surgical intervention).

The fallopian tube could become blocked if the woman suffers from endometriosis (a condition where tissue from the lining of the womb migrates outside the uterus). There is a home ovulation kit available at most drug stores that can provide the answer to whether ovulation is taking place. 

Other common reasons for a women’s infertility are age (about 20% of the women in the US wait until after age 35 to attempt to conceive), being over or underweight, stress, alcohol, sexually transmitted diseases and tobacco smoking. For every year over age 30, a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant, and carrying a child to term decrease rapidly.

While looking at all the possible causes, a complete diet history is collected to be sure the woman is eating correctly. Research has found that eating just 4 grams of trans fats a day can increase chances of becoming infertile by 70 to 100 percent. This is the amount of trans fats in a single donut. The trans fats prevent ovulation. Instead of the label reading trans fats, it may say ‘hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated’ oils. That is the same thing. 

Other reasons for infertility can be fibroid tumors in the uterus. While benign, they can create a block to the progress of the egg to sperm. Also, the uterus may be tipped toward the back, like a limp balloon, closing off entry to the sperm. The sperm may not be strong enough to enter the egg itself. The number of sperm may be reduced due to various health problems. The mucus quality in the vagina may impede the sperm.

There are many reasons for lack of conception however a large number can be successfully treated through various medicines. Sometimes it is necessary to undergo surgery before conception is possible, as in the case of a blocked fallopian tube. 

Heart Disease is the narrowing or blocking of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. This is Coronary artery disease and it happens very slowly over time. Men are more likely to get Coronary artery disease and other heart related diseases. While it is true that women are still not as badly affected as men, heart disease is certainly not a strictly male province. Today, heart disease is the leading cause of death of American Women. More than 366,000 women in America die every year of heart disease. In UK, almost one in six women dies of heart disease.

Many doctors, who as late as in the 1980s did not even really believe that women developed heart disease, still over look uniquely women heart disease risks, sometimes even to the point of misdiagnosing or dismissing women’s heart attacks while they are happening.

Two widely believed myths persist that only men have heart disease and that women are at risk only in old age. The truth is that at least 1.2 million women live with heart disease and this figure is rising. One may even be surprised to learn that more than 20,000 women under the age of 65 have heart attacks each year. And while heart attack rates for men are falling, rates for women are on the rise. Death rates from heart attack are generally declining but they are declining at a slower rate for women than for men.

Women play down their own risk. Menopause is a defining moment for women and Heart Disease. Before menopause, a woman’s naturally high oestrogen levels protect her heart. After the menopause, women have higher cholesterol levels, which may increase their risk of heart disease, especially if their level of triglycerides which is another type of fat particle in the blood is raised too. In general, women who have high levels of triglycerides (over 3.0mmol/l) and low HDL ‘Good Cholesterol’ (under 1.2mmol/l) have greater risks for heart disease than do men with similar levels. 

The causes of heart disease are different for women. For example, Type 2 Diabetes increases heart disease risk more in women than in men. Women who smoke are twice as likely to have heart attacks as male smokers. Depression is also a stronger heart risk factor for women than it is for men. 

Women have risk factors that men don’t face. Taking contraceptive pills is one example. High blood pressure is two or three times more common in women who take oral contraceptives – especially in those who are overweight. Also, women whose blood pressure rise during pregnancy and returns to normal after delivery are more likely to have high blood pressure and heart disease later in life. 

The simplest truth to get rid of heart disease in women is to gain more understanding of one’s own heart risk. Then in easy terms, eat wisely, take exercise, climb stairs instead of lifts and elevators, reduce stress, be aware of fluctuations in body weight, waist measurements, cholesterol levels and blood pressure. This is a good advice for women with heart disease.