Outercourse

One of the workshops I attended at the AASECT conference was on painful bladder syndrome or interstitial cystitis. It's only one of several disorders that make intercourse a painful proposition. When intercourse becomes painful, it's only natural that a couple's sex life can take a major hit. But rather than avoiding sex altogether, it's important that couples get creative and talk openly about new ways of remaining physically intimate.

In addition to oral and manual stimulation, couples may want to experiment with outercourse. Basically, outercourse involves the use of a lubricant while the penis is thrusting between the thighs or between the breasts. The former can be done from a spooning position or the standard missionary position. If couples want to continue having intercourse, careful thrusting and experimenting with different positions such as side-to-side or angled missionary can be helpful.

Chronic pain can be very debilitating. It's critical that a person dealing with this kind of pain not feel isolated and alone. Maintaining intimacy in the couple relationship decreases the sense of aloneness and helps a couple stay on the same side of the problem.