Corona – Get sex help on prescription

After almost two years of pandemic, many experience great challenges in their sex life. Dr. med. Nina Willumsen, gynecologist at the Nimo clinic in Drammen.

– In addition, many of those who experience ailments and pain have not received the help they need, Willumsen tells Dagbladet.

She has for a number of years worked with patients in need of sexual aids, and says that she now sees an increasing demand.

– On a normal day, I print 3-4 applications for such aids. It is rarely something patients ask for themselves, but it often comes through dialogue, she says.

Now society is once again experiencing new austerity measures. The government reintroduced, among other things, the meter, bar stop and home office for those who can.

But the help is there. More and more people are getting sex help on a “blue prescription”.

According to figures from NAV, the allocation of sexual aids increased by 70 percent in the last five years. From three million kroner in 2015 to ten million in 2020.

In 2020, as many as 3,000 Norwegians were allocated sex aids. Of the various products, erection-inducing vacuum pumps are the most awarded. The aid is made for those who experience erectile dysfunction.

– A lot of stress

Women also need sexual aids, which according to the gynecologist are often due to pain during intercourse or low sex drive.

The super trick: Stay longer in bed

– There are many women who are unable to have intercourse due to pain. For example, when it is too tight, that the muscles in the pelvis are too tight, or if they have previously been subjected to abuse or an accident, says the gynecologist.

Pain during intercourse is in many cases due to vaginismus – a chronic pain condition which is due to the pelvic floor muscles being tight and tender. This will often lead to pain when inserting the tampon and during intercourse. It can also be due to localized vulvodynia – formerly called vestibulitis – which is a condition of chronic pain in the vaginal opening.

50 percent of the women who come to a vulva clinic have vulvodynia, according to Vulva.no.

– Many people have a lot of stress and uncertainty in everyday life, and then there is the uncertainty surrounding vaccines and corona in addition. It is simply more difficult to be human during the pandemic than it was before. Those who were lonely before are even more lonely now, and those who had mental problems before, have more problems now, says Willumsen.

She says that some tighten very much in the neck and shoulders, which can lead to headaches, while others tighten and pull up the abdomen.

– Vulval disorders affect over ten percent of women during their lifetime, and it is a big problem for many women, Willumsen says.

Previous menopause

There are also more and more women coming earlier in menopause. For some, the perimenopause can start as early as the age of 30, and the menopause usually around the age of 50, according to the gynecologist.

– Most women experience that they get dry mucous membranes after menopause, and experience that the vagina feels narrower. There are also women who, after menopause, experience that the vagina contracts, and therefore can not have intercourse, she explains.

– The worst time of my life

– Then they need help to expand the vagina, for example by using a dilatorsett. You may also need a vibrator that increases blood flow to the abdomen.

In the absence of sexual pleasure or lack of sexual desire, aids may be necessary. Then it is important that health personnel give patients the opportunity to talk about challenges in a safe and open way, and guide to the right treatment, Willumsen believes.

– Many of the women I meet daily have experienced that it is both difficult and uncomfortable to talk to health professionals about this. That’s not how it should be.

However, she points out that the offer in Norway is not sufficient.

– The offer in Norway is far too bad. We have two public vulva clinics – one in Oslo and one in Trondheim. In Sweden, for comparison, they have twenty such clinics, she says.

There is a newly started vulva clinic in Kristiansand. The offer is currently in the start-up phase, according to Vulva.no.

– Do not understand

– Still taboo

According to Willumsen, all authorized doctors in Norway can order sexual aids for patients, but in many cases neither health professionals nor people who need help are aware that this offer exists.

– Disorders and challenges related to sexual health are still taboo, and I believe health professionals must to a greater extent inform about this in meetings with patients.

Willumsen has himself treated patients who come in with ailments such as depression, sleep problems and stiff neck or back, where it turns out that the cause is related to sexual health.

She believes many could have received help much earlier, if they had only dared to ask.

– Sex is a completely natural thing, and it is important for both women and men to be able to have an intimate and sexual relationship with the one you love. It quickly becomes a void and an imbalance in the relationship if you do not maintain the sexual function, believes gynecologist.

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