Pelvic Floor Symptom
Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
You have been cleared to have sex again, but it does not feel the way it used to. It hurts, or you feel less, or something feels too tight or too loose. Maybe you have been told it just takes time. Many of these changes come from the pelvic floor and scar tissue, and they respond well to targeted care.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction
After childbirth, many women notice changes in sex: pain with penetration, pain at a scar, reduced sensation, difficulty reaching orgasm, dryness, or a sense that things feel different. These changes are common and are often under-discussed at postpartum visits.
Several factors contribute. Tears and episiotomy scars can be tender and tight. The pelvic floor may guard after birth injury, making penetration painful, or it may be weakened, reducing sensation and orgasm strength. Breastfeeding lowers estrogen, causing dryness and sensitivity. Fatigue, stress and body changes play a role too.
Your OB or midwife manages hormonal and medical factors. Dr. Gordon treats the pelvic floor, scar tissue and nerve contributors, at your pace, and coordinates with your pelvic floor PT and therapist.
Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction at a Glance
Common changes
Pain with sex, reduced sensation, difficulty with orgasm, dryness
Common sources
Scar tissue, pelvic floor guarding or weakness, hormonal changes from breastfeeding
When to seek care
Changes that persist after you are cleared for intercourse
Often seen with
Postpartum pelvic pain, leaking, pelvic heaviness
What Dr. Gordon addresses
Pelvic floor tension or weakness, scar tissue, nerve sensitivity
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Postpartum checkups rarely address sexual function in detail. Pelvic floor and scar tissue changes are often left untreated.
What routine testing is looking for
- Wound healing and infection
- Bleeding
- Major tears
- Postpartum mood conditions
What often keeps symptoms going
- Tender, tight scar tissue from tears or episiotomy
- Pelvic floor guarding that makes penetration painful
- Weakness that reduces sensation and orgasm
- Nerve sensitivity after stretch or tearing
- Dryness from breastfeeding hormones
These are assessed gently and at your pace.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Pain with penetration
Pain at the opening or at a scar.
Deep pain
Aching with deeper penetration.
Reduced sensation
Feeling less during intimacy.
Difficulty with orgasm
Weaker or harder-to-reach orgasms.
Dryness
Dryness or sensitivity, especially while breastfeeding.
Feeling too tight or too loose
A sense that things feel different.
Root Causes
The Four Drivers Dr. Gordon Looks For
Most people have more than one of these in play. Finding which one leads makes treatment more efficient.
Scar tissue
Tears and episiotomy scars can be tender and restrict stretch.
Pelvic floor guarding
The pelvic floor tightens after birth injury, causing pain.
Pelvic floor weakness
Weakness reduces sensation and orgasm strength.
Hormonal changes
Breastfeeding lowers estrogen, causing dryness, which your OB can address.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction
The initial evaluation runs 60 to 75 minutes. You leave with a clear picture of what is driving your symptoms, a written plan, a realistic timeline, and in most cases your first treatment.
Records and history review
Dr. Gordon reviews your birth history, tears, episiotomy or C-section, breastfeeding status and recovery.
Scar and external assessment
Gentle assessment of the perineum, scars, hips and inner thighs.
External pelvic floor assessment
The pelvic floor muscles are examined from the outside, with no internal exam. With you draped for comfort, gentle pressure around the perineum, sit bones, tailbone and inner thighs checks tone, tenderness and trigger points.
Intimacy and comfort review
You and Dr. Gordon discuss what has changed and what matters most to you.
Plan and coordination
A clear plan, plus communication with your gynecologist or pelvic floor PT when that helps your care.
When to see a physician first
- Heavy bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour, or large clots
- Fever, chills or foul-smelling discharge
- Redness, swelling or drainage at a tear, episiotomy or C-section incision
- Calf pain or swelling, chest pain or shortness of breath
- Severe headache or vision changes
- Feelings of hopelessness or thoughts of harming yourself; contact your doctor or call or text 988
If you have any of these, contact your doctor or go to the nearest emergency department.
Bring to your first visit
Records
Recent lab results, imaging reports and specialist notes. These can also be faxed ahead.
Treatment history
A short list of what you have tried and what did or did not help.
Clothing
Something comfortable and loose fitting.
Treatment
How Dr. Gordon Treats It
These are the tools Dr. Gordon uses most often for postpartum sexual dysfunction, chosen from your exam findings.
Primary approach
Intrapelvic & Extrapelvic Dry Needling
Dr. Gordon holds ASE certification in both intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling. Treatment releases pelvic floor guarding and works gently on scar tissue that makes intercourse painful. The needles go in through the skin of the buttock, perineum or inner thigh, never through the vagina or rectum.
Learn about pelvic floor treatmentNerve focus
Neuro-Functional Acupuncture
Electro-acupuncture to support pelvic nerve function and sensation.
See servicesBetween visits
Intimacy Plan & Team Coordination
Guidance on pacing and comfort, coordinated with your OB, pelvic floor PT and therapist.
Referring provider? Contact the clinicWhat to Expect
A Typical Recovery Arc
Visits 1 to 3
Find the main driver
Dr. Gordon confirms which muscles and nerves are behind your symptoms and starts calming the most reactive areas. Many people notice early changes between visits.
Visits 4 to 8
Lower the baseline
Day-to-day symptoms ease, flares become shorter and less frequent, and normal routines start to feel more manageable.
Visits 9 to 12 and beyond
Build resilience
Visits are spaced out as improvement holds. You leave with a maintenance and early-flare plan.
Most patients are seen weekly or every other week during active care. Individual results vary with how long symptoms have been present and how reactive they are. Progress is reassessed at every visit.
Not sure how to describe it? Put your pain or discomfort into words before your visit
"I had never done acupuncture and was very nervous to try it out. Dr. G eased my nerves as soon as I walked in by thoroughly explaining the process and answering all of my questions. He is really concerned about your health and genuinely wants to help you feel better."
Kaitlin Erikson, Google Review
Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction Questions
Answers About Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
It is common, but ongoing pain is not something you have to accept.
Pelvic floor weakness, nerve changes and hormones can all reduce sensation.
Breastfeeding lowers estrogen, which can cause dryness and sensitivity. Your OB can discuss options.
No. The pelvic floor muscles are examined externally, with no internal exam. Everything is explained before it happens, and you set the pace.
Many women improve within six to ten sessions.
Yes. Scar tissue often softens and becomes less tender with treatment.
Before You Book
General Questions
The clinic is an out-of-network practice. The initial evaluation is $300 and follow-up visits are $250. After each visit you receive a detailed superbill to submit to your PPO plan for possible reimbursement. FSA and HSA cards are accepted, and the clinic can run a complimentary benefits check before your first appointment. The check is a courtesy, so please confirm your coverage with your plan. See Insurance & Fees for details.
The first evaluation is 60 to 75 minutes and usually includes treatment. Follow-up visits run 45 to 60 minutes.
Yes. Call (516) 597-5400 or send a message through the contact page. This is especially helpful if your case is complex and you want to understand the approach before committing to a full evaluation.
1508 Union Turnpike, Suite 133, North New Hyde Park, NY 11040, with free parking on site. The clinic is an easy drive from Manhasset, Great Neck, Garden City, Lake Success, Floral Park and Mineola. Early morning, evening and weekend hours are available.
Most people feel a quick muscle twitch or a deep ache that lasts a few seconds. That twitch is a normal sign the trigger point is releasing. Mild soreness for 24 to 48 hours afterward, similar to a hard workout, is common. Depth, angle and stimulation are adjusted to your comfort.
Both use the same fine, sterile, single-use needles. Dry needling targets specific trigger points and tight bands in muscle based on your exam. Neuro-functional acupuncture targets nerve pathways, often with gentle electrical stimulation, to calm nerve sensitivity. For postpartum sexual dysfunction, Dr. Gordon commonly uses both.
When performed by a trained, licensed provider with detailed knowledge of anatomy, it has a strong safety record. Tell Dr. Gordon if you take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, are pregnant or have a weakened immune system so he can plan accordingly.
It is a technique that reaches the internal pelvic floor muscles, including the levator ani, obturator internus and coccygeus, to release trigger points and restore normal muscle function. Dr. Gordon holds ASE certification in this technique, which few practitioners in New York have.
Yes. Your privacy and comfort come first. When undressing is needed for the area being treated, you are fully draped, and nothing internal is done without your clear consent. You can pause or stop at any time.
Yes. Many of Dr. Gordon's pelvic floor patients come to him after difficult experiences elsewhere. Every step is explained before it happens, you set the pace, and Dr. Gordon treats adults of all genders and identities in a respectful, welcoming setting.
It helps to have had a medical workup so serious causes have been checked. If you have not seen a gynecologist for these symptoms yet, call the clinic to talk through the best order of steps.
About Dr. Anthony J. Gordon
Dr. Anthony J. Gordon is a Doctor of Acupuncture licensed in New York and board certified. He holds ASE certification in intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling, along with advanced certifications in Functional Dry Needling and Neuro-Functional Acupuncture. With more than 18 years of clinical experience and over 3,000 complex cases treated, he focuses on pelvic, spinal and orthopedic conditions that have not responded to standard care, and works closely with each patient's physicians and physical therapists.
Read Dr. Gordon's full bioBook an Evaluation for Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction
Book an evaluation with Dr. Gordon and address the pelvic floor and scar tissue changes that birth left behind.
Early morning, evening and weekend appointments available. Free on-site parking.
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