Stress management and maintaining a healthy blood pressure have been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease. And luckily, intercourse helps with both stress and blood-pressure management due to the physiological changes that occur within the body during intercourse and orgasm. Studies have shown the cardiovascular effects that occur during intercourse to be comparable to mild-to-moderate physical activity (3 to 5 METs, or metabolic equivalents).

That’s great news because it’s a fun way to improve your cardiovascular health. However, for a significant amount of women, that may not seem like such a great idea. According to a 2021 article on WebMD.com, 40 to 50 percent of women report some type of problem with sexual activity. Three very common issues treated at pelvic-floor physical therapy clinics are difficulty with orgasm, pain with intercourse and impaired arousal. Follow the tips below on ways to alleviate these issues and have better sex in order to help your heart.

Difficulty with orgasm. Achieving an orgasm is not necessary in order to have pleasurable sex or to reap the cardiovascular benefits of sex, but it is a nice added bonus. Orgasm can be impaired for a variety of reasons, but the most common causes that are treated include impaired blood flow, nerve compression and decreased tissue mobility. If the connective tissue and/or muscles surrounding the pelvis are tight and restricted, this makes it more difficult to get adequate blood flow and nerve signals to the clitoris, which is the most common way to orgasm for females. Getting consistent physical activity can improve blood flow, and combined with the use of vibration, can loosen any restricted tissue and improve blood flow.

Pain with intercourse. This common, but abnormal issue occurs in over 60 percent of women and will definitely affect intercourse. Pain could be superficial around the vaginal opening or deeper inside, and can vary in sensation from burning to achiness to stabbing pain. Overactive pelvic floor muscles or scar tissue are the likely culprits for pain, and they respond best to pelvic-floor physical therapy. Performing diaphragmatic breathing and the butterfly stretch while lying on one’s back can help release tight, painful pelvic-floor muscles.

Impaired arousal. Hormonal changes with decreased estrogen can lead to vaginal dryness and difficulty achieving arousal physically. This is most common if one is breastfeeding, postpartum or menopausal, but can happen at any time. Using a quality lubricant will temporarily ease this issue, but for long-term changes, vaginal moisturizers are helpful to restore moisture and lubrication to the tissue. Utilizing vibration can also help improve the tissue hydration level and is an easy solution to try along with the moisturizers.

All of these issues are common, but are not normal and not something that should be ignored or tolerated. There are physical causes for all of these issues and ways to alleviate them. Keep in mind that cardiovascular health is not the only benefit of better sex, but one that females should not ignore based on the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease.