Dear friend,
Sex may not make the world go ’round, but it is what keeps the world going. And, importantly, it’s meant to be an enjoyable experience that fully unites a couple to one another. Unfortunately, for too many women, enjoying sex may seem like a dream that’s unattainable in reality. We need to talk about this.
Women deserve to enjoy the sexual union, but when sex is consistently ho-hum or downright painful, it becomes a major roadblock to a couple’s intimacy, often causing a lot of suffering. Sometimes, the problem boils down to a health issue, or a poor understanding of female biology. So this week, we covered:
1) Painful sex, and what exactly can be done about it (whether it’s due to endometriosis, vaginismus, or something else), and
2) The essential components of the female orgasm.
Mary Bruno, the author of Twelve Stripes Deep, wrote an eye-opening, first-person account of what it’s like to live with painful sex, and how she finally found healing through pelvic floor physical therapy after more than a decade of suffering. Then Cassondra Moriarty (co-host of The Natural Womanhood Podcast), reported on everything we’ve ever wanted to know about the essential physical components of an orgasm, from detailed descriptions of the anatomy involved, to the nerves and hormones that activate and serve that anatomy—all delivered with her signature wit and wisdom.
friend, we hope you appreciate this week’s candid, informative pieces, all of which can be found below. It’s truly a joy to produce content like this for readers like you each week—but on that note, we have a special announcement to make…
All the best,
Grace Emily Stark
Editor
Natural Womanhood
| “Sex should never be painful:” The connection between endometriosis and painful sex The words lingered in my brain for days, puzzling me. Surely I understood that sex should be pleasurable, and sometimes it was for me, but I could not grasp the idea that sex should never be painful. The pain was something that I had become far too accustomed to. Click here to read the full article. |
| Healing from painful sex in 4 steps, and how pelvic floor physical therapy can help The first step in my treatment plan, and most importantly for me, was to take a break from sex. With the new knowledge of what had been going on for nine long years and learning that it wasn’t normal, I needed time to process what I had unintentionally been putting myself through each time my husband and I were intimate. Click here to read the full article. |
| 3 essential components of the female orgasm Just like so many things related to women’s health, female pleasure has a wide variation from woman to woman. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all, and contrary to popular opinion, there is no one magic spot that, if stimulated, causes female orgasm. Click here to read the full article. |
| From the NW Archives: “The Love Hormone:” What does oxytocin do for us? In 2012 researchers found that a couple’s level of commitment correlated with the levels of this hormone in their blood: the higher and more stable the oxytocin levels, the more committed the couple. Click here to read the full article. |