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Hi, I'm Lisa Emrich; RA Patient Advocate living with rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. I'm here today to talk about how to maintain a healthy sex life when you live with RA.
First off, communication and honesty are key. Communication is necessary between you and your partner and your doctor. The pain and fatigue from RA can interfere with how you feel physically and how you feel about intimacy within your relationship. Talk to your partner about what’s going on. And very important talk to your doctor; RA medication can interfere with how your body reacts.
Aggressively treat your RA to help manage the pain as much as possible. Try to stay flexible, eat well, exercise, maintain your general health overall.
Consider changing positions or using different supports. Use props or pillows to better support your body, to get pressure off of your knees or your hips, or your wrists. Consider different positions with your partner to also help relieve some of the pressure and some of potential pain. If you have RA in your spine especially your neck, please be extra careful that you don’t put pressure on your neck.
Consider lubricants or aids. Sometimes the medications from RA can cause vaginal dryness or decreased libido or impotence. So definitely bring this up with your doctor when you visit next.
Focus on intimacy. Healthy sex life is not just about sexual intercourse. Remember the brain is the largest sex organ in the body. Be creative in your activities. A good relationship presents the greatest foundation for healthy sex life.
And then think about the benefit of sex. It helps to increase the blood flow, and releases pain reducing chemicals; both of which are very good for the body. And if you're having problem with relationships, really consider talking to a therapist who can help you and your partner work through their problems not only in your relationship but how you're dealing with the disease and how you can really maintain each other as being solid rocks. And basically have fun and enjoy the time that you spend with the person that you love.
And that’s how I see it as an RA Patient Advocate. But I do recommend that you do reach out to your doctor for more details or go to Google and type in RA and Sex for more information. Thanks for watching.
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