When Sex Hurts: A Woman's Guide to Banishing Sexual Pain

by Andrew Goldstein MD, Caroline Pukall PhD, Irwin Goldstein MD

Overview

For the 20 million women who suffer from painful intercourse: the first book to address the multiple causes and the available treatments.

Painful sex is a condition that causes embarrassment and silence -- often going undiscussed or misdiagnosed; as many as 40 percent of women who suffer from it won't seek medical care. And most medical professionals are still in the dark when it comes to women's sexual pain.

Now, three leading experts tackle the stereotypes, myths, and realities of sexual pain in this easy-to-understand, accessible guide that will help you get the help you need and deserve. Drs. Goldstein, Pukall, and Goldstein offer answers to your most pressing questions, as well as:

Up-to-date information on the more than 20 causes of sexual pain
How to choose the right doctor -- and how to interpret your doctor's lingo
Valuable tips for understanding sexual pain, and what can be done about it
How to rebuild sexual intimacy once the pain is gone

Featuring groundbreaking research and stories from women who've also suffered -- and recovered -- When Sex Hurts provides all of the tools you need to stop hurting and start healing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738214481
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	01/11/2011
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Andrew Goldstein, MD, is a national medical expert on sexual pain and dysfunction. He is the President-elect of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health and is on faculty at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He lives in Maryland.

Caroline Pukall, PhD, is a leading researcher of women's sexual function and dysfunction and an associate professor at Queen's University. She lives in Ontario.

Table of Contents

Foreword Christin Veasley ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xv

Part I Essential Background Information: Getting Started on Your Road to Recovery

Chapter 1 Painful Sex: An Overview 3

Chapter 2 It Really, Really Hurts: Understanding the Phenomenon of Pain 21

Chapter 3 Listen to Me, Doctor! 33

Chapter 4 Containing the Damage to Your Relationship 51

Part II The Root of the Problem: Causes and Treatments of Sexual Pain

Chapter 5 Generalized Vulvodynia: When It Hurts All the Time 65

Chapter 6 When Every Touch Hurts: Provoked Vestibulodynia (Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome) 78

Chapter 7 Could It Be an Infection? 101

Chapter 8 Getting on Your Nerves: Pudendal Neuralgia 117

Chapter 9 Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Symptom in Search of a Cause 127

Chapter 10 When the Pain Is Skin Deep 147

Chapter 11 Delving into the Past: The Role of Trauma and Abuse in Sexual Pain 159

Chapter 12 And Baby Makes Three: The Role of Childbirth in Sexual Pain 164

Chapter 13 Physical Therapy: The Universal Treatment 174

Chapter 14 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Working It Out in Your Head 184

Part III When the Pain is Gone

Chapter 15 Rebuilding Your Life 197

Chapter 16 When Sex Is Good 203

Chapter 17 Looking Toward the Future 215

Appendix: Pain Diary 223

Notes 225

Index 239

Editorial Reviews

Cindy Meston, Ph.D., Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, author of Why Women Have Sex
“The most comprehensive, accessible, and illuminating look into women’s sexual pain ever written, packed with up-to-date and invaluable information. When Sex Hurts is a must read for any woman, or partner of a woman, who has experienced painful sex.”
 
Dr. Tim Johnson, Senior Medical Contributor, ABC News
“This is a subject that has been in the dark far too long and this book will help shine a much needed bright light into those shadows.”
 
Yitzchak Binik, Professor of Psychology, McGill University, Director, Sex and Couple Therapy Service, McGill University Health Center
“Finally, an up to date, comprehensive source of information for women suffering from sexual pain. I will recommend this book to my patients.”
 
Alan M. Altman, MD, President, International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), author of: Making Love the Way We Used to...or Better  

From the Publisher