His and Her Health

It has been 7 months since i gave birth to my 3rd child. A few months after she was born i was able to orgasm with clitoral stimulation and it did not take very long. I have some health issues that include low iron, a few other minor things..but have been taking iron pills and feel better. I hav also changed my diet to low carbs and working out so i feel great...except that this problem is dampening my sex life. I do eventually orgasm but with a lot more effort. Can any one tell me why?

Are you breastfeeding?

no...i'm not breastfeeding..at my last physical my doc said i had protein in my urine and that my uric acid was high...that was 3-4 months ago. I am going for a follow up but wondering if maybe it is my sudden change of diet and exercise causing my hormone levels to go a bit off? I also noticed this orgasmic difficulty happening at the same time that i felt numbness in my back and twitching in my eye...wondering if some lack of vitamin is causing nerve problems as a whole..thus affecting my breast, clitoral sensitivity..any thoguhts?

As for breast sensitivity, if you breastfed at all it will take some time for that to come back.<P>Low iron will negatively impact libido. It's good you are taking iron supplements. Pregnancy drains the body of a lot of nutrients--my pet theory is that postpartum depression is caused by low levels of omega-3 fatty acids. I would recommend taking lots fish oil, six grams. Since you aren't breastfeeding you can get away with over-the-counter fish oil. Also the full dose of calcium/magnesium/zinc, a good multi, and extra vitamin C and E. It's a lot of pills, but I think it will help. Since you asked about nutrients, that's what I recommend. The low-carb diet should help your libido, as long as you aren't being too stringent about fat intake. Monosaturated and saturated fats in moderation help with libido.<P>There may be other issues involved too. Was the birth a difficult one? There may have been some trauma to the genitals. You may want to be checked by a specialist.<P>It may just be the contrast between pregnancy and post-pregnancy orgasmic ability. With the improved circulation and the hormone levels of pregnancy, many women find it much easier and faster to have a clitoral orgasm. This ability sometimes takes a few weeks to fade, but fade it does, unfortunately.<P>Are your clitoral orgasms taking longer than they did before you got pregnant?

Thanks so much for your reply...no it did not take as long to orgasm by clitoral stimulation before pregnancy. In fact three to four months after pregnancy it was easier but now it just takes a lot more effort. <BR>I will take the supplements you spoke of, i do eat enough fat though. ANother question while we are talking about the big "O". I know it is possible to orgasm without clitoral stimulation as i have before. If i was to concentrate on the internal stimulation and orgasm only that way do you think eventually i will naturally do this when i have sex? If not how can i increase my chances of orgasm during sexual intercourse?

Did your difficulty with clitoral orgasms start at the same time you started the low-carb diet and exercise?<P>Also, are you getting enough sleep?<P>To increase your chances of vaginal orgasms, you should develop your PC muscles using vaginal cone weights. It will also help get back tone lost during pregnancy.

Yes, i would say that since i started working out and with the fact that i wasn't getting much sleep that this is when the trouble began. I noticed i needed to sleep a lot during the day...at times all day. This does not happen anymore though as i get a good amount of sleep now and take iron supplements. I didn't start my diet change until recently although my dr. says that i need to drink tonic water when my nerves twitch. <BR>Also..what are these weights and where do you get them?

Babies and a good night's sleep are often mutually exclusive.<P>I am curious about the exercise, since the onset of this problem corresponded with you beginning the exercise. What type of exercise is it, and what are the intensity and duration? If it's bicycle riding or a stationary bike, that may be your problem right there.<P>We can't put links to websites here, but vaginal cone weights are available online. The most popular brand is FemTone.<P>I still think it may have something to do with the iron deficiency. I don't know enough about it, but maybe it takes a while for the body to recuperate from something like that? I do know low iron has an important effect on female sexuality, which is why many products like ArginMax contain iron, just in case.

I had the same experience, after my second son was born. I started having difficulty with clitoral orgasm, which was a completely new problem for me. A lot of therapists have told me it's psychological, since I went into therapy a few months after the birth. However, I have always thought there was a hormonal component, as I had been in therapy for a few months years before I had kids, and didn't develop the problem. <P>I still think it's hormonal, combined with a slight thyroid imbalance, which has gotten worse as I have aged. You may want to get your thyroid checked, since thyroid imbalance can cause sexual function problems, even if it is only off by a little bit. Ruby.

Do you think it's possible you could have had nerve damage during labor and delivery?