#18: Painful Sex and Endometriosis with April Maria aka Venus Libido

Sex shouldn't hurt, and yet so many women and vulva havers suffer in silence about painful sex. I spoke with April Maria aka Venus Libido about her own personal experience of having undiagnosed endometriosis, the frustration of battling the medical system, finding pleasurable sex on her own terms, and how you can still have great sex when you're experiencing pain. We covered: Her personal experience with painful sex and endometriosis, and not getting help in the medical world The biggest issues people with sexual pain face The lack of education and understanding from doctors about what she was facing Not being able to communicate with your partner about sex hurting The biopsychosocial model of pain The impact of trauma on pain Why pain is NOT in your head but pain starts in the brain My own experience of recovery communities When pain and chronic symptoms are perpetuated by the fight flight response Interrupting the fight flight response Myths about sexual pain Feeling undesirable having sexual pain Is it ever a good idea to try and push through sexual pain? Exploring pleasure through pain Why sexual pain CAN be an invitation to befriend your body What April really wants all healthcare professionals to know about sexual pain Why working with sexual pain must be a holistic approach Different sex toys and aids for painful sex-- shoutout to the Oh Nut! Find out more about April here: www.venuslibido.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/venuslibido/ Join the waiting list for the Shameless Woman Immersion here: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/483496/105744095837685104/share --- Follow this podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MdbEOJW9nXRqLsAMSTRAn?si=13d9a8abecfe4ac0 Follow this podcast on Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-naked-unashamed-life/id1682478750 Want to connect more? For the shameless sexual confidence, pleasure and deep satisfaction you’ve been craving, head here: ⁠https://lucyrowett.com/⁠ Free PDF on how to confidently ask for what you want in bed: https://bit.ly/askforwhatyoureallywant Learn more about working together 1:1 here: http://lucyrowett.com/sex-intimacy-relationship-coaching/ Unlock your sexual happiness with Beducated. Get access to 100+ raw and honest courses on sex, led by the world’s top experts. You’ll find fresh new content every month. Get 50% off until January 16th and quote the code: NEWYEAR24 at the checkout. Social media links: IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/lucylurowett⁠ TT: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/⁠ FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/lucyrowettcsc⁠ LI: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-rowett-csc-cs-acs-9a301351/ Credits: Produced and Hosted by: Lucy Rowett Cover Art by: Lucy Rowett Music by: Tom M at Filmstro