When Sex Hurts: Intro to Pelvic Pain

In this episode, Kimberly introduces her listeners to painful sex. She defines different terms associated with chronic pelvic pain including dyspareunia and vulvodynia, offers statistics on chronic pelvic pain, and gives some clinical examples from her sex therapy practice. She identifies common worries and concerns that women often experience during and after chronic pelvic pain. Kimberly also describes the four potential psychological traps that she has identified based on her work with couples who are dealing with sexual pain. The four traps are 1) The Credibility Issue, 2) Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath Water, 3) De-erotization, and 4) Post-Clearance Collusion.