Advice 😢

[Ambs2018]

Good evening ladies,

Looking for some advice😢

I hate my life at the moment, sex is so painful and really can’t enjoy it and then my bladder gives up and I end up urinating during sex (no children) is this normal?

GP doesn’t want to refer me on to a specialist as my gynaecologist has a plan in place.

Struggling really bad with mental health and really struggling with bowel symptoms.

Sorry think I just needed to rant.

Many Thanks

[Hannah0091]

Hi, sorry to hear your having such a rough time.

I have bladder issues too however not the same so not sure if this will help but I take cranberry tablets and they help me quite a bit if I’m honest.

In terms of painful sex I have been recommended to use a dilator going from a very small one gradually over a few weeks to a large one and it’s working well for me so may be worth a shot.

Can you take a bath? Very good for pain and mental health. It’s really rough and rubbish to even try to feel positive I know that feeling very well as it’s all so debilitating. Do u have a favourite food. Or favourite music- usually helps me a little

I hope this helps a bit x

[Ambs2018 in reply to Hannah0091]

Hi Hannah, thank you so much for replying. Oooh thank you I drink a lot of cranberry juice but don’t like how it makes me teeth feel haha! So might have to give them a try. Where can you get the dilators from? Baths are a life saver if I could live in them I would. Sometimes it feels literally impossible to feel positive but I just try tell myself that there is people who have it worse. Thank you again for the reply I really appreciate x

[Hannah0091 in reply to Ambs2018]

Hey, yeh Holland & Barrett well them 👍 I will send you a link to the ones I use 😊 baths are great loveee them 🙌 I’m the same haha. Yeh it is hard to stay positive I’m completely with you there! It’s really tricky I understand but I try to find light in things x

[Ambs2018 in reply to Hannah0091]

Next time I’m in town I’m going to pick some up😁 Glad its not just me haha!🙌🏼 Its awful what us women have to go through but seeing the support we get on these posts helps massively! X

[Maxi72]

Sorry to hear you’re having a hard time. You should ask your Gynaecologist to refer you to a psycho sexual therapist. The longer you’re in pain during intercourse the more you will come to dread it and the worse it will become. A female Gynaecologist I spoke to told me this and said if it’s at this point you need to get referred. Hope this helps.

[Ambs2018 in reply to Maxi72]

Thank you for replying I appreciate it. Do you think my GP will be able to refer me to the therapist?x

[Maxi72 in reply to Ambs2018]

Yes, definitely. Your GP should not refuse. However if you’re under a specialist centre there will be better expertise there so you could contact your Gynae consultant for an internal referral.

[Ambs2018 in reply to Maxi72]

I’m just seeing a general gynae and my GP has refused to refer me on to a specialist centre! I shall however give my gynae a ring and see if they can help. Thank you

[Maxi72 in reply to Ambs2018]

Perhaps have a look at the NICE guidelines ( also on Endometriosis UK website) before you have the conversation. It will tell you there what your GP should be following. Since you’re under a general Gynae it should also detail at what point they should consider referring you to a specialist centre. Psychosexual health experts are often situated in urology or women’s health physio departments and should be very experienced in what you need. Good luck!

[LeahEndoUK Moderator]

Hi Ambs2018

I am so sorry to hear what you're going through.

If you feel that you would like to speak to someone about your experience, we have a confidential helpline that you can call free of charge. This helpline is staffed by volunteers who have experience with endometriosis. You can find information about the opening hours and contact details via this link: endometriosis-uk.org/helpline

There are a variety of methods that can be used for pain management, these can complement those given to you by your GP. Information of these can be found starting from page 8 of this document: endometriosis-uk.org/sites/...

I hope this information can help you alleviate some of the pain you are experiencing.

Best wishes,

Leah

EndometriosisUK

[Ambs2018 in reply to LeahEndoUK]

Hi Leah, thank you for taking the time to read and reply to my post. I will have a look at contacting the helpline. I will also have a read on the document that you have attached.

Thank you ☺️