What Causes Painful Sex?
Painful sex usually traces back to one or more of these, and pelvic floor therapy can address every one of them:
Pelvic floor muscle tension or overactivity: muscles that are guarding and won’t fully relax, which can make penetration painful or impossible
Vaginal dryness: extremely common postpartum, while breastfeeding, and in perimenopause and menopause
Scar tissue: from a tear, episiotomy, or C-section that healed with tightness or sensitivity
Vaginismus: an involuntary tightening or “clamping” of the pelvic floor in anticipation of pain
Underlying conditions: like endometriosis, vulvodynia, or recurrent infections that leave the tissues sensitized
Often it’s a combination, and often there’s a cycle: pain leads to bracing, bracing leads to more pain. Part of the work is gently breaking that cycle.
How pelvic floor therapy helps
We start by listening and by understanding your specific pattern because “painful sex” looks different for everyone. Treatment is gentle and paced entirely to your comfort, and may include hands-on release of tight muscles, breath-work and down-training to teach the pelvic floor to relax, scar-tissue mobilization, nervous-system regulation, and guidance on tools like dilators or lubricants when they’re helpful. Everything is trauma-informed, and nothing happens without your consent and understanding- we explain each step before we do it. If a medical piece is involved (like dryness that would benefit from local estrogen, or a skin condition), we’ll coordinate with your provider.
You deserve comfortable, pleasurable intimacy
This is genuinely one of the most rewarding things we get to help with, and meaningful improvement is very possible. You are not broken, and you are not alone. At OWN Your Pelvic Health in Denver, every visit is a full, unhurried hour, one-on-one- and no referral is needed in Colorado.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does sex hurt? Common causes include pelvic floor muscle tension, vaginal dryness, scar tissue, vaginismus, and conditions like endometriosis.
Can pelvic floor therapy really fix painful sex? For many people, yes. It addresses the muscle, tissue, and nervous-system factors driving the pain, often without medication.
Is painful sex normal after having a baby? It’s common — especially early postpartum and while breastfeeding — but it’s treatable, not something to just endure.
Will I have to do anything I’m not comfortable with? No. Care is paced to you, fully consent-based, and often begins entirely externally. You’re always in control.