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It's Not Supposed to Hurt: A Woman's Guide to Reclaiming Sex, Her Body, and Being Believed
Paperback
Series: The Informed Woman, Book 1
Women's HealthPain ManagementSexuality
Publisher Price: $16.99
ISBN13: 9784342998362
Publisher: Amie J. Racette
Published: Sep 2 2026
Pages: 124
Weight: 0.39
Height: 0.26 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
What if painful sex isn't something you simply have to tolerate?
It's Not Supposed to Hurt: A Woman's Guide to Reclaiming Sex, Her Body, and Being Believed is a compassionate, practical women's health guide for women living with painful sex, pelvic pain, and the frustration of being dismissed when they ask for help.
If sex causes burning, tearing, aching, stabbing, pressure, or deep pelvic pain, you may have been told to just relax, use more lubricant, reduce stress, or wait for things to improve. This book helps you understand that painful sex may be common, but it is not something you should simply accept.
Written in clear, accessible language, this guide explores possible causes of sexual pain, including dyspareunia, vaginismus, vulvodynia, pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis, adenomyosis, infections, hormonal changes, nerve-related pain, and bladder pain syndrome.
You'll learn how to recognize symptom patterns, track your pain, prepare for medical appointments, ask better questions, request appropriate evaluations, and find healthcare professionals who understand pelvic pain and sexual health. The book also explains pelvic floor physical therapy, medical treatments, psychological approaches, trauma-informed care, dilators, pain management, and other treatment options.
But painful sex can affect more than your physical health. It can influence relationships, intimacy, confidence, dating, communication, and the way you feel about your body. It's Not Supposed to Hurt provides practical guidance for talking with a partner, setting boundaries, navigating intimacy without penetration, discussing sexual health while dating, and rebuilding pleasure and trust in your body.
Inside, you'll find:
- A plain-language explanation of painful sex and dyspareunia
- Guidance on vaginismus, vulvodynia, and pelvic floor dysfunction
- Information about endometriosis, adenomyosis, infections, hormonal changes, and chronic pelvic pain
- Strategies for preparing for a gynecologist or pelvic pain appointment
- Symptom-tracking guidance and questions for healthcare professionals
- Guidance on finding a pelvic floor physical therapist or pelvic pain specialist
- An explanation of the relationship between the nervous system and chronic pain
- Information about pelvic floor therapy, medical treatment, psychological approaches, and pain management
- Practical guidance for relationships, boundaries, intimacy, and sexual confidence
- Resources to help you become a more informed participant in your care
Most importantly, this book gives you language for an experience that can be difficult to explain.
You are allowed to ask questions. You are allowed to communicate your boundaries. You are allowed to seek another clinician when your concerns are dismissed. And you are allowed to want intimacy to feel good again.
It's Not Supposed to Hurt is for women ready to better understand their bodies, advocate for appropriate care, explore treatment options with qualified professionals, and move from silently enduring sexual pain toward informed action and renewed intimacy.
Your pain deserves to be taken seriously. Your body deserves to be heard.Also from
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