Oftentimes dyspareunia causes penetration to be painful, especially in the beginning or upon movement. For some people, pain associated with vaginismus is mild. For others, it is unbearable. This could be experienced during intimacy, when inserting a tampon, or during medical pelvic exams. The muscle spasms do not have to occur across all 3 of those contexts to be considered vaginismus. For example, it is possible to experience pain with sex but not have trouble with a tampon. It truly depends on the individual person.

You can go straight to a pelvic floor therapist for relief of your pelvic pain. A pelvic floor therapist is a physical therapist (PT) or occupational therapist (OT) that specializes specifically in pelvic health. In other words, they are not seeing clients with shoulder or ankle injuries and then seeing some clients with pelvic related concerns on the side here and there. Pelvic floor therapists at Bloom Pelvic Therapy spend their entire day solely working with clients with pelvic floor conditions.

In an evaluation at Bloom Pelvic Therapy, you will spend at least 1 hour with your pelvic floor therapist to share your story and finally be heard. Clear answers start with having the opportunity to share details of your concern in a safe and comfortable setting where you are not rushed or dismissed. You will leave each visit with tasks or exercises to start relieving your pelvic pain- sometimes this looks like stretching, sometimes movement or strengthing, at times we recommend vaginal dilators or pelvic wands- all of these we discuss in session, make sure you are comfortable and confident!

Labor Prep : Where is the best place? Pelvic floor therapy! When it comes to optimizing the mother’s experience through labor and healing postpartum, pelvic floor therapy is one of the best things moms can do during pregnancy. We cannot begin to tell you how often we hear from our postpartum clients that they wished they had come in during pregnancy to get ahead of some of their concerns. Kegels are not in, and will not help prepare- pelvic therapy looks beyond, helping you move and deliver your baby with confidence & comfort.

Pelvic floor physical therapists and occupational therapists are known for championing the care of their patients with endo (or suspected endo), minimizing symptoms, and getting people back to living their fullest lives. Pelvic floor therapists are specialists in treating the pelvic floor and pelvic pain related conditions, such as endo.

Pelvic floor therapy is for all people: men, women, boys & girls. Seldom do we consider what our children’s pelvic floor health is like or if their toileting habits are healthy, often not considering until there is difficulty.

Pelvic floor therapy addressed a number of aspects for the pediatric population including: bedwetting (noctural enuresis), pee accidents after potty training, not wanting to use the toilet, constipation or trouble consistently having an easy bowel movement, needing to go pee or poop very frequently or urgently. Often times the pelvic floor and our habits are a main driver of this very easily correctable issue.

While pelvic exams, pap smears, and other gynecological examinations may not be the most comfortable, it is not "normal" to be in pain during these visits. If you have found that these exams are painful for you, consider these options to help you feel more comfortable in the moment and consider connecting with a pelvic health specialist to find more long-term relief.