IBS/SIBO and bloating/painful Sex (dyspareunia)

[HEALME24]

Hello!

So ive had gut-inflammation for years now. I have IBS, im intolerant to many many foods- gluten, grains, dairy, nightshades, sugar, legumes etc. It's likely to be leaky gut and SIBO too which i am looking at getting tested for using the hydrogen-methane breath test (that costs a fortune!)

Anyway, ive been reading some posts on here and they've been so helpful. I was wondering if anyone (another woman) has ever suffered from pain during sex, or bloating/inflammation after sex, who also have SIBO or gut-problems. Im trying to understand if its a bowel or gut things, or endometriosis etc. It would be amazing to feel somewhat hopeful that after i treat my gut-health, my dyspareunia and bloating after sex will go away! #shittysexlife

[AGood]

Hi Healme24

I had both ibs and adenomyosis & endometriosis and fibroids. I had pain during sex and would feel so bloated and bruised afterwards, it was miserable. It is possible that you may have 2 things going on. I would encourage you to ask your GP for a scan.

Wishing you well 🌻

[HEALME24 in reply to AGood]

Hi AGood

Thanks for sharing, i will definitely look more into it. Getting the drs to do anything is like getting blood out of a stone but i will keep persisting haha!

[Liz1234ty]

Hi I agree with Healme24, my own endo problems were diagnosed with an internal scan. Not fun but it is over soon and you can then get a more accurate diagnose and treatment plan. I have SIBO too but not heard of pain during/after sex being a symptom of that so it might be 2 or more things going on in your case. Some NHS trusts will offer a SIBO test for free so worth checking before you pay privately. However, for speed i decided to spend £165 and pay for a private test. Good luck!

[HEALME24 in reply to Liz1234ty]

Hello Liz1234ty

Thanks for sharing too! Okay, good to know. Sounds like i have more than 1 thing going on i guess. Yeah its going to take a while until i get the dr to give me a SIBO test. i have to start from step 1 and do the stool samples, and more tests until they let me do that one so i may aswell go private and save myself time!

What antibiotics did you take for your SIBO? and did they work?

[Liz1234ty in reply to HEALME24]

I am a week into a course of rifaximin. It has not helped yet but i have 2 weeks left and then plan a 4 week antimicrobial course so hope that i will feel better in a few weeks.

[HEALME24 in reply to Liz1234ty]

okay cool, i really hope it works!!! i know someone who found doxycycline positive in helping their SIBO...so i dunno, just putting it out there

[Liz1234ty in reply to HEALME24]

Thats good to know thanks. I will definitely bear that in mind as it can be tricksy to cure. I'd strongly recommend getting the test privately if you can as it took me 9 months of gp based nhs tests and various perscriptions before they referred me to see a gastro and then another 12 weeks on a waiting list and then another several weeks for a sibo breath test! The nhs tests are really important eg to rule out gluten intolerance, common parasites, ibd etc but waiting about 16 months for a sibo test is so frustrating.

[Iesgobdafydd]

I had IBS which I now think was caused by connective tissue disorder (TMJ), and it also resulted in mild pain sometimes during orgasm, as well as general lack of libido and dryness. We tend to think of the gut and the sexual organs as disconnected because they're separate systems, but they're close neighbours and the body is a single organism. If your bowel is distorted because of gas, or its walls are inflamed, it shouldn't really be surprising if it affects the organs next to it. I used to find as well that sexual advances when I wasn't in the mood would set me burping - the gut and the sexual organs are both connected through whatever the physical pathways are that relate to mood and emotion. By all means get yourself checked in case there is something other than IBS going on, but in a way it surprises me more that there aren't more people talking about sex problems in connection with IBS than that you are.