At age 42 Cherie is supposed to be in her sexual prime, at least according to the latest women’s magazines, but she feels far from sexy. With two children and a busy career, she considers sex to be at the bottom of her list. Further, sex with her husband just isn’t very pleasurable anymore because Cherie doesn’t feel much sensation in her sexual organs. She avoids sex as much as possible, but her husband is becoming upset and worried. She knows she needs to do something to resolve the situation, but she doesn’t know what.

How Cherie can solve her sexual problem: More than 40 percent of women are dissatisfied with their sex lives, and many of these women have decreased sexual sensation, which is what Cherie is experiencing. This decrease in sensation is often due to weak pelvic floor muscles, and the good news is that these muscles can easily be strengthened with pelvic floor muscle exercises. Studies show that women who do pelvic floor exercises reach orgasm more easily and experience more sexual desire. Cherie can improve her symptoms by following a simple pelvic floor exercise program, such as one from her physical therapist or the at-home program in chapter 7 in our book.

What is Decreased Sexual Sensation?

What if sex isn’t as good as it used to be? What if it was never as good as it could be? Then you may be suffering from pelvic floor weakness. Decreased sexual sensation is a common symptom and can be the result of vaginal deliveries, aging, obesity, stress, and other factors. But some women also experience decreased sexual sensation for no particular reason other than lack of pelvic floor tone. Studies show that 10% of women have never had an orgasm and only 30% of women ever achieve orgasm during intercourse. The good news is that research indicates that increasing pelvic floor fitness can and does improve sexual satisfaction for most women.

You Know You Have Decreased Sexual Sensation if you experience any of the following symptoms:

1. Difficulty achieving a satisfactory sexual response
2. Low sex drive
3. Decreased pleasurable sensation during sex
4. Pain during intercourse
5. Urinary incontinence during sexual activity

How the story ends

Cherie decided to tackle her problems in the bedroom with a pelvic floor fitness regimen. At the suggestion of her urologist, Cherie signed up for a Pilates-pelvic floor fitness class and began learning how to exercise and tone her pelvic floor. She was heartened to learn that several studies proved the link between pelvic floor tone and a woman’s ability to achieve sexual satisfaction. The news motivated Cherie all the more to practice her Kegels and other pelvic floor exercises… at stoplights, while waiting in line at the grocery store, and, of course, in the bedroom!