Sex should feel great—not like someone’s twisting a corkscrew into your lower belly. But if that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’re experiencing lower abdominal pain during sex, you’re not alone. Approximately 45% of women in the U.S. currently deal with sex-related pain. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 75% will face it in their lives.
While common, you shouldn’t have to endure this pain in silence. At The Stoehr Center, our team specializes in evaluations and treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano. If sex has become painful or stress-inducing, we’re here to help you reclaim your comfort, confidence, and connection.
Understanding Pain During Sex
Pain during sex can seriously affect your physical and emotional well-being. When intimacy turns into something you dread, it can strain your relationships, shake your confidence, and take a toll on your mental health. We’re here to help you feel your best by getting to the root of that discomfort.
Some doctors call this dyspareunia, a recurring genital pain that accompanies intercourse—definitely not the plus-one anyone’s looking for 😉 Many people with this condition also have lower abdominal pain. Lower abdominal pain during sex may be:
- Deep or internal, like a period cramp
- Achy or intense pressure
- Triggered by certain positions, stress, or menstrual cycle phases
The causes of pain during sex can be complex and layered, ranging from endometriosis to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While traditional doctors have their strengths, they often lack the specialized approach needed for evaluation. That’s where we step in, to offer real answers and noticeable relief.
Diagnosing the Root Cause
When it comes to pain during sex, there’s rarely a 1-size-fits-all answer. At The Stoehr Center, we understand multiple factors can contribute to your discomfort, which is why we take a whole-body approach to diagnosing the root cause of your pain.
Kicking things off with a heart-to-heart, our assessment begins with a thorough consultation to discuss how you’ve been feeling. We might ask questions about your symptoms and lifestyle to gain an understanding of your physical and emotional health.
From there, we may recommend a comprehensive lab test to uncover any hormonal imbalances, inflammation markers, or even nutritional deficiencies. We can also use pelvic ultrasounds or MRI imaging if necessary before determining your specific treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano.
Most Common Causes of Lower Abdominal Pain During Sex
While a wide range of conditions can crash your bedroom party, we run into some more often than others. Here’s a rundown of the usual suspects.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis happens when uterine tissues that are supposed to shed during your period decide to wander outside the uterus and set up camp in your bladder, bowels, or ovaries. The result? A whole lot of inflammation, menstrual cramps, unpredictable bathroom habits, and yes, lower abdominal pain during sex.
Endometriosis typically occurs in women ages 20 to 40. Over time, it can cause scar tissue and adhesions, which may intensify your discomfort during intimacy.
Since endometriosis symptoms often worsen during menstruation, it’s frequently mistaken for ordinary period pain and overlooked. To the women who have been brushed off and handed a heating pad, we see you and we’re here to do better.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Think of your pelvic floor as a hammock of muscles holding up your bladder, uterus, and bowels. When those muscles weaken, tense up, or are out of sync, they stop functioning like they should. This condition can cause pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, and constipation.
Pregnancy and childbirth are the most common culprits behind pelvic floor dysfunction. Other causes include surgery, injury, or chronic stress. Some people develop trigger points or muscle knots in the pelvic floor that cause sharp pain—especially during intimacy.
But there’s good news: we perform a variety of effective treatments for resolving pelvic floor dysfunction, providing specialized treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) might be best known for inflicting an unpredictable bathroom schedule, but it can also contribute to lower abdominal pain during sex. IBS causes a mix of bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, all of which leave your stomach feeling tender and inflamed.
When your partner applies pressure during intercourse, it can trigger discomfort or even sharp pain. While IBS isn’t curable, we can manage it with the right lifestyle and dietary adjustments.
To lessen IBS inflammation, try cutting back on inflammatory foods such as gluten and refined carbs, and increase your intake of anti-inflammatory foods like fruits and vegetables. We can further help you refine your diet to face your IBS at The Stoehr Center.
Additional Contributors
Lower abdominal pain during sex isn’t always caused by one obvious problem, sometimes it’s a variety of issues teaming up against you. Other possible causes of painful sex include:
- Uterine fibroids
- Adenomyosis
- Ovarian cysts
- Vaginal dryness
- Interstitial cystitis
- Scarring post-surgery
And let’s not forget the emotional side of sex. Past traumas, relationship stress, and general anxiety can all play a role in how your body responds to penetration. Our team takes all these factors into account when deciding your treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano.
Treatment Options at The Stoehr Center
At The Stoehr Center, we offer personalized care plans to address the root causes of your pain. We may not have a magic wand ✨ but we do have some incredibly effective treatment options.
Emsella Pelvic Floor Therapy
Emsella relieves symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. We administer this FDA-cleared, noninvasive treatment in less than 30-minute sessions, so you can get back to your life and the bedroom.
Emsella therapy involves sitting fully clothed on a specialized chair that painlessly delivers electromagnetic energy to your pelvic floor muscles. Like a next-level workout, Emsella’s controlled energy pulses stimulate rapid, intense muscle contractions, enhancing your pelvic floor muscle strength, coordination, and control.
Emsella can provide relief from sex-related abdominal pain, bladder issues, and general discomfort, making it an effective treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano.
SoLa Pelvic Therapy
SoLa pelvic therapy uses a specialized technique to target painful muscle knots and scar tissue in the pelvic region. Using low-level laser therapy, SoLa reduces inflammation, alleviates nerve pain, and helps break down scar tissue, making it easier for your muscles to work properly.
This therapy also enhances muscle tone, circulation, and neuromuscular control, helping you regain strength and mobility in the lower abdomen. We may recommend pelvic floor therapy in addition to SoLa treatment for certain patients.
SoLa pelvic therapy offers an effective, holistic approach to improving your pelvic health and relieving discomfort for a variety of conditions:
- Bladder Pain Syndrome
- Chronic Pelvic Pain
- Endometriosis
- Sexual Pain
- And much more!
Hormone & Medication Support
Hormone therapy can be highly effective for treating pain related to endometriosis, vaginal atrophy, or menopause. We offer bioidentical hormone therapy to help balance your estrogen and progesterone levels, easing symptoms and promoting pelvic health.
For period-related pain, we may recommend anti-inflammatory medications or hormonal birth control to manage pain and regulate your menstrual cycle. Additionally, based on your lab results, we can provide nutritional supplements such as vitamin D, magnesium, and other key nutrients to support hormone balance, reduce inflammation, and improve your overall well-being.
In combination with other therapies, medications and supplements complement our comprehensive treatment approach.
Lifestyle & Diet Guidance
Pain often stems from inflammation, and many conditions causing lower abdominal pain during sex, such as IBS, increase inflammation. Changing your lifestyle and diet can help alleviate symptoms by decreasing inflammation. We recommend avoiding inflammatory foods such as:
- Gluten
- Refine carbs
- Fried food
- Processed meat
- Red meat
- Margarine, shortening & lard
Instead, focus on adding anti-inflammatory foods like:
- Nuts
- Unsmoked fish
- Fruits
- Seeds
- Veggies
- Legumes
We not only guide you toward anti-inflammatory foods but also help you discover food sensitivities unique to you, so you can avoid trigger foods. Also, we teach you stress reduction techniques like mindfulness and gentle activity to further soothe your digestive health as a treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano.
Combining these dietary and lifestyle changes can relieve your symptoms and improve sexual comfort.
Living Pain-Free Is Possible
Every day, we encounter patients whose faith in finding relief is dwindling. The dismissal many women experience from doctors often leaves them struggling for years without answers.
One woman came to us post-menopause, convinced by prior providers that vaginal dryness was causing her pain. After trying multiple estrogen treatments with no success, she was still frustrated and in pain.
When we took a closer look, we found the real issue: vulvar vestibulitis. With some topical steroids, her pain dissipated. Today, she’s not only pain free, but her husband still occasionally reaches out to say thank you.
Stories like this remind us that pain during sex isn’t something you have to live with. And sometimes relief is closer than you think!
Choose Relief With Help From The Stoehr Center
Googling your symptoms, playing diagnosis roulette, and feeling more confused than ever are not doing it for you. Instead, come see us at The Stoehr Center for expert, personalized treatment for lower abdominal pain during sex near Plano.
🗓️ Book an appointment to get your sex life back on track!
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