Our sexuality is complicated and so is our response to sexual pain, so there is no simple answer to how IC may impact your sexuality. But there are some common ways that people living with IC talk about it impacting their sexuality:
- The urge to urinate (which is a common characteristic of IC) can be exacerbated at different points in your sexual response cycle and sex play may have to be interrupted many times for trips to the bathroom. This can be frustrating and lead to giving up on trying to have sex. One partner may think that the interruptions are “psychological” and a sign that the other partner doesn’t really want to have sex. This is a good example of a time when sexual communication is crucial to minimize the impact of IC on your sexuality.
- The greatest impact seems to be dyspareunia, or the experience of painful intercourse. A review of surveys of IC patients found that from 49% to 65% of people living with IC experience pain related to intercourse.
- After experiencing sexual pain over and over again, people can start to anticipate the pain. This may lead to a lack of motivation to initiate sex, a lack of arousal (which can in turn result in reduced lubrication and more irritating intercourse), as well as an overall lack of sexual satisfaction even when sex is possible and not entirely painful.
- Fatigue is a common part of living with chronic pain, and with IC it can also be the result of sleep being interrupted because of an urge to urinate. Fatigue also has a huge impact on sexuality. Fatigue can impact your interest in sex, and your ability to have sex when you do want it. It can also impact how you feel about yourself and your body.
References:
- Webster, D.C. “Sex, Lies, and Stereotypes: Women and Interstitial Cystitis” The Journal of Sex Research Volume 33, Issue 3 (1996): 197-204.
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