Medical Lab Testing Dallas, TX

Sexuality involves both physical and emotional intimacy. A healthy sex life can positively affect all aspects of your life. It can improve your physical health, how you feel about yourself, how you work and play, and your dealing with family and friends. Certain things can negatively affect your sexuality. Having a satisfying sex life is a challenge in all relationships. The most common problem for women is dyspareunia, or painful intercourse. When sex becomes painful, it can cause problems in a sexual relationship, as well as having a negative emotional effect.

The most common cause of painful intercourse is an insufficient amount of vaginal lubrication. Of all the possible causes, it is also the easiest to resolve. It is common to have fears and concerns about sex and intimacy when you are in pain. The woman needs to focus on relaxing while her partner focuses on more foreplay, and take your time. If that doesn’t work, then you can move on to lubricant. Make sure it is water based. If the lack of vaginal lubrication is due to hormones or menopause, then you can try a water based lubricant. If that doesn’t help, then you will need to talk to your physician about using a prescription estrogen cream of hormone replacement therapy.

Another very common condition that can cause painful intercourse is vaginal infections, like a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. Both infections can irritate the vaginal walls and also cause inflammation inside the vagina. Once the vaginal walls become inflamed, the friction from intercourse can be extremely painful. You can use an over the counter treatment for a yeast infection, but you will need to get prescription antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis.

Many sexually transmitted diseases can be painful. Syphilis, Genital Herpes and Genital Warts can all cause sores in the vaginal area. These sores are extremely painful just to touch. If you have an STD or suspect that you have been exposed to an STD, you need to get tested immediately.

After giving birth, you should not have intercourse for at least 6 weeks. Your body needs time to heal. During delivery, you can experience an injury to the vulva or the vagina. If your doctor performed an episiotomy prior to delivery, it will require stitches, and having sex too soon may require you to need additional stitches.

Some women experience spasms of the vaginal muscles, called vaginismus. This is usually caused by a fear of being hurt. This is most common in women that have been sexually abused or raped. Her partner can try gentleness and patience, but more than likely you will need some sexual therapy. When looking for a counselor, make sure they are a certified sexual counselor.

You should seek immediate attention if intercourse suddenly becomes painful when it hasn’t been before, or if you suspect an STD or any other infection. You should also let your partner know immediately if you have an unusual reaction to sexual intercourse. An unusual reaction would be a headache, chest pain or pain throughout the body. If you experience painful intercourse, talk to your partner.

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Infertility tests are done to help find out why a woman cannot become pregnant. The tests help find whether the problem is with the man, the woman, or both. Tests usually include semen analysis and blood tests.

Fertility / Infertility

The tests that are done look for many different reasons that could be causing the fertility problems. One of the very first things that your doctor is going to want to check is tests for sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Many STD’s will cause fertility problems and increase risk of a miscarriage. Standard STD testing will test for Herpes, Syphillis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Hepatitis and HIV.

You will also need to check hormone levels. Tests for Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Progesterone may be done during a woman’s menstrual cycle to help see whether she is ovulating. LH may be checked in a man to see whether he has a pituitary problem that may be the cause. Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It may be reveal if a woman has menstrual or ovulation problems.

The thyroid can prevent ovulation if it is not working properly, so you will need to test either a full Thyroid Panel or the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). If you have a history of thyroid problems or are taking medication for your thyroid, then you should do the full Thyroid Panel instead of just a TSH.

In some cases, a Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) test will be used to check a woman’s egg supply (ovarian reserve). FSH testing can also be used in men with a very low number of sperm to try to find out the source of the problem. A Testosterone test may be used to see whether a problem with the testicles or pituitary gland is preventing a man from being able to father a child. A low amount of testosterone can lead to low sperm counts.

Antibody blood tests may be done to find antisperm antibodies in blood, semen or vaginal fluids. Karyotyping is a blood test that looks for problems in the genetic material (chromosomes) in your cells. Some genetic problems make it hard to become pregnant or cause miscarriages.

Both partners will need to have all of these test done. You will want to have them done before any treatment is started.

The male partner will also need a Semen Analysis. A Semen Analysis checks the number of sperm (sperm count), the number of sperm that look normal, the number of sperm that can move normally, the number of white blood cells in the semen, and how much semen is made.

Infertility test can cost a lot and cause stress. You and your partner need to keep track of the frequency of sexual intercourse. While you are trying to get pregnant, make sure to follow the simple steps. You need to avoid certain medications, the use of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs. Tracking the menstrual cycle and exercise patterns can also help.

Infertility tests may find what is causing the problem and can help with treatment options. Sometimes the tests cannot find the cause of infertility and not all infertility problems can be treated. Infertility in men is often less successfully treated than infertility in women. You may still be able to become pregnant using assisted reproductive technology, which can treat male or female problems.

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