His and Her Health

I am 35 and have never acheived orgasm without manual or oral stimulation. I am married and want to pursue this disfunction. I have been breastfeeding for 13 months now and my son doesn't look like he'll be weening soon. I have a 2% sex drive and I experience bouts of mucuousy discharge alternating with extreme dryness. I seem to have classic Candida symptoms and am about to go on a yeast curbing diet. I don't have insurance to I have to rely on Planned Parenthood or the City clinic for my health care. When I explain my issues, I'm ignored or told I'm normal and healthy but I get no solutions. I'm tired of 'proffessionals' telling me it's normal or to wait until I'm done breastfeeding to get on with my sexual health. I'm an intelligent woman doing my own research. Is there a forum specific to these issues related to breastfeeding? Are there herbs that are safe to take that will help me? We have a breastfeeding organization that has a hotline but when the issues are too personal they suggest you ask your doctor. I don't have the luxury of a real doctor who will provide true health care for me in exchange for a huge bill. Is there someone out there that is not afraid to give me advice or console my husband for his lack of sex?!<P>------------------<BR>Kris

First of all, I want to make one thing clear--being able to orgasm only from manual or oral stimulation is perfectly normal. You do not have a dysfunction. Sure, some women out there can have vaginal orgasms, but not the majority.<P>Second, it is perfectly normal and natural to have zero sex drive when breastfeeding; that's what lactation does to women. But at thirteen months your child is not exclusively breastfeeding; at this point with solid food being eaten and other things being drunk, your volume of milk should be drying up and you should begin to menstruate, if you haven't already.<P>In the meantime, for goodness sake do have sex with your husband, at least some sort. Your lack of desire will pass when the baby is weaned (and if it doesn't, by all means, come back to this board), so to get over this temporary dry spell, if you can't stand to have actual sex with him give him oral sex or at the very least a handjob. Reassure him that this is a temporary normal hormonal phase. You may also want to consider wearing your nursing bra with pads when you are intimate so you don't have to worry about milk letdown.<P>But with that said, I will give you some advice for supplements. You may want to consider taking pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. Do not take the over-the-counter fish oil you get at the drugstore--there are many dangerous contaminants in the ocean that get concentrated into fish oil, which is why doctors are recommending that pregnant and nursing women don't eat tuna. But pharmaceutical-grade fish oil is safe; it goes through a very rigorous filtering process. Not only may it help with your libido, it is also good for infant brain development. In fact, DHA is starting to be added to formula. Pharmaceutical-grade fish oil is available online.