Huge thanks to all who came out and joined us at The Crocker Club for some amazing and informative talks from Dr. Emily Morse (Human Sexuality expert and host of the Sex With Emily podcast), Dr. Heather Jeffcoat, DPT (owner of Femina Physical Therapy) and Dr. Lisa Valle, MD (Oasis Female Sexual Function Center). Thank you!
More exciting highlights from the evening:
Dr. Lisa Valle, MD
Dr. Valle spoke about the most common issues she encounters in her specialized medical practice, and treating female sexual problems utilizing an integrative approach.
- The importance of performing a monthly self exam of the vulva with a mirror
- An anatomy lesson, including how big your clitoris really is
- How often you should get a pap smear (generally every 3 years for women ages 21 to 65)
- How much bleeding is too much during your period (if you saturate 1 pad or 1 regular tampon an hour, go see a doctor)
- Paying attention to neurotoxins in your beauty products (check out the EWG's list of toxins in cosmetics)
- What normal vaginal discharge is like (odor and color can vary, texture can range from clear to a milky white)
Dr. Heather Jeffocoat, DPT gave extensive insight into common pelvic floor conditions
She emphasized that many conditions (incontinence, pain with sex) are too often normalized when they could easily be treated by a pelvic floor therapist. She went on to talk about some of the common conditions that are treated at Fusion and Femina Physical Therapy including:
- Female Sexual Pain Syndromes: The neuromuscular components of sexual pain and why “just having a glass of wine” won’t make sex any less painful.
- Incontinence: It’s not just an “old lady” disease, about 30% of female athletes have experienced some sort of stress urinary incontinence.
- Urogenital Prolapse: Did you know that your organs can move and for some women, fall out of the pelvis? Read more about prolapse and how we treat it in the clinic here.
- Pelvic Floor Issues: Your pelvic floor muscles can have problems from being too tight and short OR too loose. If you can't tell where you fall on that spectrum it might be a good idea to see a pelvic floor therapist.
- Pregnancy Issues: At the clinic we treat lots of pregnancy pains during pregnancy: back pain, pubic symphysis pain, round ligament pain, SI joint pain. We can also help you prep for birth and reduce the risk of tearing by increasing tissue pliability in the pelvic floor and perineum
- Postpartum Renewal Program: Help restore your body after birth. Our clinic can treat diastasis recti, incontinence, and pain with sex after birth.
- Cancer Rehabilitation: We help restore tissue pliability and can help reduce tissue sensitivity after cancer treatment.
- Orthopaedic Services: Pelvic pain, back pain, and other issues can be caused by poor movement patterns or weakness. We treat the whole body at our clinic.
Dr. Emily talked about the importance of “sexual communication as lubrication”
She also conveyed the importance of knowing your own body via mindful masturbation.
- Communicating with your partner about sex can create more intimate, connected, and GOOD sex. Use the four C’s to help talks about sex with your partner: comfort, confidence, compassion, curiosity
- The importance of mindful masturbation for sexual empowerment and being able to communicate what feels good to your body. From Emily’s blog:
“Set up your space in a way that feels soothing to your senses. Maybe you’d like to light a candle or two, enjoy some aromatherapy, perhaps cozy up with a few soft pillows or blankets, massage in some scented oils – the possibilities are endless. Now it’s time to find a comfortable place to sit down, and just relax for a moment, letting your mind rove through your body. Are there places that feel sore or tense? Send them some loving, soothing energy. Once you feel relaxed and comfortable, allow yourself to think about what you’d like to get out of your self-love today.” Read more at her blog.
To top it all off, we had a raffle full of amazing prizes including:
- (2) Intensity Vibrators (viveve.com/incontrol) - value $199 each
- (1) Desert Harvest Gift Basket (desertharvest.com) - value $150
- (3) Womanizer Clitoral Stimulators (womanizer.com)
- (3) Foria Awaken CBD Lubricant (foriapleasure.com) - value $48 each
We ended the night with some Q&A and time to mix and mingle with the speakers.
Thank you to our Silver Sponsor Viveve, Community sponsors Soul Source and Foria and all of our sponsors providing raffle items and swag (Good Clean Love, Desert Harvest, Mama Wundabar, Uber Lube, Foria) who helped make this a memorable and educational event. See you at the next Girl's Night Out and join us in destigmatize these conversations for better sexual and pelvic health!
