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Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve was written by Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, a physical therapist with countless successes in treating pain of this type. Women with vaginismus, overactive pelvic floor, painful intercourse, vulvodynia, vulvar vestibulitis, vestibulodynia, dyspareunia, interstitial cystitis have all benefited from her unique program. Heather uses her orthopaedic background to approach treatment of these muscles like they are....muscles! She utilizes a self-treatment tool called a dilator to provide massage and other muscle relaxation and stretching techniques in a gentle fashion to return a women's muscles back to a resting, rather than guarded, state.

Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve

What Others are Saying About "Sex Without Pain ":

I have seen Heather's treatment program work time and time again with my patients. Her unique approach to treating women with painful intercourse through a combination of hands on skills, patient education and the thorough home program outlined in this book has surpassed the results of her peers. Her techniques and expertise have been an invaluable resource to my practice."

- Kerri Parks, MD (Associate Professor Ob/Gyn USC Keck School of Medicine)


I will use it frequently for clients who cannot afford pelvic floor PT or for those who cannot find pelvic floor PT any where near them! I have so needed this resource. The clarity of each step and the drawings are so helpful - I don't know of any other resource that will be as effective for self-help."

- Joyce Penner, RN, MN (Sexual Therapist, Educator and Co-author of The Gift of Sex, Restoring the Pleasure and numerous other publications)


Sex Without Pain is an essential book for any woman suffering with pelvic or sexual pain. Heather's approach is simple and clear. She empowers the woman and her partner with the resources needed to lead a healthy and pain free sex life. A great read for patients and professionals alike."

- Jennifer Briggs, DPT (Women's Health Physical Therapist, Pennsylvania)


• To order "Sex Without Pain" in paperback from Amazon for $24.99, click here.

• To order an electronic read-only non-printable PDF copy of the book for instant download at $19.99, use the button below:

• To schedule an appointment at one of the Femina PT offices, click here.

• For a list of other trusted health care providers, click here.

Yoga Poses for Working at Home

Check out these yoga poses for working at home that you can do in your home office setup!

Peform them at least 1-2x during your workday.

Many people working from home with the COVID-19 pandemic are finding themselves sitting hunched over a computer in non-ergonomic work setups -- kitchen counters, hard chairs or stools, or simply propped up in bed. Working for hours in these positions will lead to a stiff neck and shoulders, a sore lower back and tight hips, glutes,and pelvic floor muscles.

For those of you with time and internet access, join me for Yoga Class on Thursdays at 9:30 AM PST. Check out the Femina PT online events page for details.

Seated Cat/Cow

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  • Sit with feet flat on the floor
  • Place your feet and knees to hip width's distance apart
  • Place your hands on your knees
  • Inhale (cow): Sit tall, look up towards the ceiling, lift chest towards ceiling, open your stomach to the front wall, lift tail bone
  • Exhale (cat): Round the spine, drop the head, tuck the tail bone
  • Repeat 5 -20 cycles

Seated Spinal Twist

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  • Sit with feet flat on the floor
  • Place your feet and knees to hip width's distance apart
  • Inhale and reach your arms over your head
  • Exhale and twist to the left
  • Set your left hand on the chair behind you
  • Set your right hand on your knee
  • Hold for 5-20 breaths
  • Repeat on the other side

Side Stretch

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  • Sit with feet flat on the floor
  • Place your feet and knees to hip width's distance apart
  • Place your hands on your knees
  • Reach your right arm up towards the ceiling
  • Reach right arm to left side wall
  • Breathe into rib cage and the space between the top of the hip and the bottom of your ribs
  • Hold for 5-20 breaths
  • Repeat on other side

Wrist Stretches

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Wrist Extension Stretch

  • Gently pull your fingers backwards (as shown) until you feel a stretch along the bottom of your arm and through your wrist.
  • Gently twist the wrist outwards and inwards to find more tension ready to be released.

Wrist Flexion Stretch

  • Bend your hand down towards the floor and grasp your fingers with the opposite hand and gently pull your fingers and wrist back towards the arm.
  • Gently twist the wrist outwards and inwards to find more tension ready to be released

Seated Pigeon

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  • Sit with feet flat on the floor
  • Place your feet and knees to hip width's distance apart
  • Cross your right ankle over your left knee
  • Sit tall and apply a gently pressure to the right knee (do not force)
  • Hold 5 -20 breaths
  • Repeat on other side

Seated Hamstring Stretch

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  • Sit with one leg extended and your back straight.
  • Keep the opposite leg bent, rest hands against your mid-thigh.
  • Hinge at the waist, towards the straight leg
  • Keep your knee, neck, and back straight.
  • Feel the stretch in the back of your thigh.
  • Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat 2 times.
  • Repeat on the other side.

Eagle Arms

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  • This opens up the space between the scapulae and the musculature of your upper back.
  • With straight arms, cross the left arm over the right.
  • Bend your elbows and wrap your right palm around so that it meets your left palm.
  • Lift the elbows to the height of your shoulders while keeping the shoulders sliding down away from your ears.
  • Keep your spine perpendicular to the floor and the crown of the head rising.
  • Hold 5-10 breaths.
  • Practice on both sides.

In addition to yoga poses for working at home, you can browse our many other yoga related articles here.

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What Our Patients Have to Say

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Testimonial by Jamie M.

I have been going to see Heather for a while now, and I can't tell you enough how much she has improved my quality of life. Heather specializes in issues like pelvic floor, but I see her for other orthopedic issues.

I have a lot of chronic joint pain and dysfunction issues (back, hips, neck) that require that have ongoing physical therapy maintenance. The effects of my problem joints/areas overlap and interconnect with each other in complex ways, so helping me requires really having a complete understanding of the entire skeletal and muscular system. Pain does not always appear where the problem actually is, the human body is a twisty, many-layered puzzle. I have an exercise program I do at home and I am very functional, but there are just something things I need a PT to help me out with.

Read more: Testimonial by Jamie M.

Testimonial by Fritzette H.

I went to Heather after the birth of my third child. It was lucky, really, that I was referred to her, because my doctor had referred me to a surgeon for a possible hysterectomy or pelvic wall rebuild. Thankfully, I went to Heather before undergoing either surgery, she was able to fix the problem. She has studied extensively in women's health--even written a book about it--and was able to diagnose my problem, suggest a course of treatment (6 weeks), and then follow through with said treatment. By the end, as she said, I was as good as gold. Boy, was it worth it! Though uncomfortable to talk about, much less write about, it is worth getting the word out there. If you have painful intercourse, especially after birth or other trauma, the treatment may be as simple as Physical Therapy (with Heather, of course). I highly recommend her.

-- Fritzette H., 3/24/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by A.W., age 32

I wanted to let you know that my pelvic floor held strong and gave me no trouble whatsoever in my trail race this morning (12 miles)! In a way, I felt like I ran better than ever because my core feels so rock solid from all the exercises you have me doing. That was especially valuable on the technical downhill - I just flew down the trail because I had confidence in my balance and form. Thank you for helping me get back to doing what I love.

-- A.W., age 32
(completed Post-partum Renewal Program using the InTone biofeedback/stim unit)

Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

I can’t speak highly enough of the theapists at Femina Physical Therapy and how much they have helped me grow, discover, and love my body. I had had painful sex for my entire life, and didn’t know that there was anything that could be done about it. It was at the point where my husband and I were not having sex for MONTHs, because it was just too frustrating, and I hated feeling like I was the ONLY woman out there who had this problem, especially at my age. I finally brought it up to my doctor because I was turning 40 and my husband and I were barely having enough sex to conceive. And she brought up pelvic floor, PT. I didn’t even know this was a “thing”.

Read more: Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

Testimonial by J.H.

My last appointment with Heather was over 6 years ago but I still think of her every day. I don’t take for granted that I can easily get out of bed, care for my two active and busy young boys, run, play tennis, clean my house, or sit at a desk for several hours at a time. None of these tasks were easy for me before meeting Heather. Eight years ago my car was struck from behind by a tractor trailer that was estimated to have been speeding. I spent 3 years working with different PTs and Drs trying to heal and move on with my life. When I became pregnant and the hormone relaxin that “relaxes” all the joints of the body and the additional weight gain erased all my progress and I was suddenly in a lot of pain again. My OB sent me to Heather for one last try.

Read more: Testimonial by J.H.

Testimonial by A.B.

Before I was referred to Heather Jeffcoat I was living in a nightmare. I had been married to my husband for three years and I was suffering from Vaginismus. That all changed when I visited my OBGYN and she said she knew of someone with a great success rate. To be honest I was hesitant at first because my first doctor had already told me that all I needed to do was order dilators from the internet and I should overcome my problem. She was wrong because I had followed the book on how to use the dilators with absolutely no advancements in my condition. However, that all changed when I went in for my first visit and Heather took the time to explain my condition and how we were going to work together to overcome it.

I remember leaving her office with a glimmer of hope that I could live a normal life. As my sessions continued I began to see immediate results. With only four sessions and a strict dedication to my home programs I was cured of Vaginismus. In the beginning of this process I was made aware that my health insurance company might not cover the costs, which was disappointing but today I can say one hundred percent that it was the best money I ever spent. Now thanks to Heather I am finally enjoying my life to the fullest with my husband. Thank you Heather, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done for me. I will never forget it. Those who are suffering from these types of conditions don’t be afraid because she makes you feel so comfortable and the end result is worth it. Good luck to you all and I hope you experience the success I have.
-- A.B.

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