It might seem embarrassing, but there are often simple answers to these burning questions about your body.
Here’s what she told me.
Should I manicure…down there?
“All I want is for women to be clean,” Guehl said.
Guehl explained that a woman’s vagina is sort of like an umbrella.
While loss of tone is totally normal, it is also totally fixable.
In that case, Guehl urges women to talk to their doctors very honestly.
They definitely won’t be the first or last woman to have this problem.
“We should be able to bill for therapy,” Guehl said.
Women come into her office all the time saying they just have no sex drive.
Their husbands want them to have their hormone levels checked, which Guehl said really isn’t accurate.
She said the secret is that most women’s sex drives tank because life gets in the way.
Guehl said the fact of the matter is that life with littles gets busy.
“Your marriage can’t survive that.”
Painful sex
Painful sex isn’t necessarily something you just have to deal with.
Factors like ovulation, dryness and friction burns can all cause pain, and Guehl said sometimes sex hurts.
Don’t hesitate to bring it up with your doctor.
She might just tell you that a little lube goes a long way.
Urinary incontinence
Another casualty of childbearing, or even age, is loss of bladder control.
This is a good first step and short-term solution.
Delaying dreams
“Everyone knows babies don’t fix marriages,” Guehl said.
Guehl said it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t ever have another.
But she advises women to be honest with their doctors about how they’re feeling.
Hormones can affect the desire for children as well.
A woman came to her once who had a C-section with her first delivery.
“Women torture ourselves to breastfeed.
Then we torture ourselves if we can’t.
Nature is not predictable,” she said.
Women come in with advice from their sisters, co-workers and ‘Dr.
Medicine is not a one-size-fits-all business.
Trust their medical expertise.
One crappy office visit isn’t enough reason to leave, Guehl said.
“Women think they can’t switch providers, especially during pregnancy,” Guehl said.
“But that’s just not true.”
However your doctor is in the medical field because they want to help.
Building trust will in turn build the confidence it’s crucial that you ask those squirm-in-your-seat questions.
And keep in mind, they’ve seen hundreds or even thousands of bodies over their career.
There’s often a solution to your problems.
All you have to do is ask.
