Sex after 3rd degree tear

[daisym]

Am hoping there are some lovely mumsnetters out there who can share stories or offer advice. I had a 3rd deg tear 15 months ago. Apparently its healed (I'm not so sure). Sex is fine, not to painful (though not obviously as good as it was pre tear) but its after having sex it starts to hurts. All my ligaments hurt, the opening round the vagina, infact everything hurts 'down there'. Have been putting up with it but cant take it anymore especially as each time we've 'done the deed' seems to bring on an infection. Have finally plucked up courage to see gp (and it took weeks to get one with a female gp) and am going to demand she refers me to a consultant who specialises in this area (I hope there is one...) does anyone have any experience of this whole nightmare situation? Its got to the point where I cant even bend down now it hurts so much.

[manitz]

same same for me. I'm two years on and various things were worrying me so recently I booked with doctor and got referred to physio and also for bowel checks which were fairly humiliating. One issue was aching particularly after pelvic floor exercises so they told me to do very little rather than none so I did hold 5 for 5 seconds and 5 short ones and built up to more. It made me feel much better once I'd had the whoel 3rd degree tear explained to me and I have felt better over the last six months, particularly when having sex which is almost back to normal. I think it's a matter of time and it took much longer than with my cs for dd1.

However I have noticed that it's now my achilles heel and if I get run down it's the first bit to go.

[manitz]

i forgot to say that my physio said having sex helps the pain as it stretches the scar tissue - so that's good news i was worried it was all over for me. My GP didn't even examine me but referred me to a gynae (who was a bloke as was the 'bottom doctor' as he called himself). All quite unpleasant but definitely worth it.