Painful sexual intercourse a year after the birth

[Vitka]

Hi. I had a baby almost a year ago by C Section. After a long labour i diallated only 4 cm and had to have c-section.
It's still very painful to have intercourse so we just don't do it any more I read on the internet that it's quite common but noone is posting whether there are any treatments that helped or has anyone had it diagnosed by the doctors.
I've seen GP a few times who's done some tests on me to rule out thrush. I'm seeing a Gyno in a few weeks time but want to go there prepared as he may send me away saying to give it time or something similar and not helpful.
Has anyone had the same problem and treated it successfully, please?

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Vitka,

Did you have this problem at all prior to the cs?.

GPs are often useless in such cases, testing you for thrush indeed . Am glad to read you have a gynae referral.

Has anyone mentioned the possibility of endometriosis?. This can cause intercourse to become very painful. Adhesions (sticky strands) can also tether organs together and these often arise as a result of abdominal surgery, the gynae will undoubtedly take a detailed history from you.

I would be keeping a pain/symptom diary in the meantime giving as much detail as possible. This can also provide valuable information to the gynae.

If at all possible do not go on your own to this appointment, can your DP/DH attend with you?. Such appts can cause considerable nerves and moral support is good to have. He can also ask questions. Write down anything you want to ask well ahead of time and write down answers to questions (you can probably tell I've done this before!).

You do not want to leave there thinking, "oh I should ahve asked about x,y,z". Do not be fobbed off, this certainly warrants further investigation. It is impacting on your life unduly.

[midnightexpress]

Vitka are there any non-physical reasons that might be coming into play (I ask because I am going through something similar to you atm)? For example, do you have a fear of getting pg again? Are you confident about your contraception? Was the birth traumatic? That sort of thing (you don't have to answer here, btw, it's more some things to ask yourself). There is a condition called vaginisimus (not sure of the spelling) which can send your vagina into a sort of spasm if you are anxious about sex for any reason and make sex painful. Now it may be that it's a bit chicken and egg (eg that real physical pain makes you anxious about sex and leads to more pain), but it may be worth exploring. If you don't get anywhere with the gynae, see if there is any psycho-sexual counselling available in your area.

Good luck.

[Vitka]

Thanks for your replies.
I'm bringing my DH with me to the doctor so he can ask questions too and not telling me after the appointment that I should have asked this and that.
My condition is purely physical as when GP examined me she said that I'm very red and raw inside that's why she thought it's a thrush.

Am confident in my contraception and would not mind a bit if I got pregnant anyway so no worries there. Unless it's something deeply phycological...

Will see what the doctor says. Wish me luck.