Painful Sex - Why It Shouldn't Hurt And What To Do About It with Dr Nighat Arif

Painful sex is just one of the things Dr Nighat Arif and I discuss in this week’s conversation. Nighat is a GP, and through her years of work helping her patients feel better, she realised that so much of the problem comes from lack of awareness about our bodies and how they work.
To mark World Menopause Day, our conversation focused on the information and misinformation that women have access to, both online and through well-meaning but ill-informed friends. Our starting point was a simple one, and began with the things her patients told her they wished they known…
We discussed:
🔥 Painful sex and what you can do about it. 85% of post-menopausal women experience painful sex, but it is also something that can occur after giving birth - it’s not restricted to ‘older women’. The KEY thing here is lubrication! Not just during sex, (and you should always use lubrication if you are experiencing pain during sex) but generally. Nighat recommends using oestrogen creams or pessaries, and vaginal lubricants to keep the vagina flexible and healthy.
🔥 The double slide method to pain-free sex... I'll let the video do the talking on this one.
🔥 The menopause is not something to fear, it is simply something to be educated about so that you can make the right choice for you. As women, we are cyclical beings who transition from one season to another throughout our lives. We are genetically programmed as females to transition from our puberty years, to our fertile years and then into our menopausal years - it is all part of our journey. Therefore learning about the full picture of our hormonal experience is vital, so that we aren’t fearful, we are prepared.
🔥 What is the difference between the peri-menopause and post-menopause? Perimenopause is the time before your periods stop, and this normally begins around ten years before the end of menstruation. This can be as early as 38 for some women, particularly women of colour. Post-menopause is one year and one day without a period, with or without symptoms. After this, you will be ‘post-menopausal’ for the rest of your life.
This is just the tip of the iceberg - we discussed so much more!
You can find Nighat here: TikTok: www.tiktok.com... Instagram: / drnighatarif Website: osdhealthcare....
Here are the links to menopause consultants and information mentioned by Nighat during our conversation:
NHS symptom lists (search for 'perimenopause' or 'menopause'): www.nhs.uk
Health and Her, offering a menopause tracking app: www.healthandher.com
Stella menopause tracking app: www.onstella.com
Balance menopause app with Dr Louise Newson, that not only enables you to record and recognise your symptoms, but also allows you to interact with an online community of like-minded people: www. balance-meno

[@jbrady6607]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
My question is, why aren't doctors prescribing vaginal oestrogen?

[@acboesefrau7729]

Mine did, but it didn't change much :(

[@ekhlassalawieh2974]

Thank you for addressing those long ignored issues. Do we need a prescription for vagina estrogen?

[@adhiladhi1948]

0

[@tinastgeorge6289]

Thank you for this, painful sex destroyed my marriage, I've been celibate for years and have now found a new partner and I'm so scared the same thing will happen. Hopefully my doctor will prescribe me vaginal oestrogen

[@KhanKhan-tk8vq]

Too life us all. Like❤. 😮. 😊. 🎉. .