There is no doubt that relationships can be strained with a diagnosis of IC in either partner. Please remember that it's not just women who have IC, but men can also be diagnosed! So, our goal with this section of our store is to provide some resources that will help couples stay strong, survive the stress of diagnosis, and rekindle a romantic and fulfilling relationship. Of course, a good place to begin is in our ICN Sexuality and Intimacy Guide, which has a great section on making sex more comfortable and fulfilling. Once you've read that, you may find the items below very very useful!

At some point in their relationship, every couple will face a moment when one partner has a medical condition that interferes, in various ways, with intimacy. But, that doesn't mean that sex can't happen. It's about being creative, gutsy and playful. If intercourse isn't possible on a given day, the FLESHLIGHT can still provide satisfaction for a male partner. If you've lost your creativity, we have some great new Erotic DVD's that can make you both more intrigued by sex.  See these resources in our "Romance and Sex" category.

New Book - Secret Suffering by Susan Bilheimer and Robert Echenberg MD

When one of every five women between ages 18 and 50 in the United States have sex, it hurts, often badly. Until now, very few patients ever talked about their experience until a new IC hero, Susan Bilheimer, arrived on the scene. A chronic pelvic pain patient, Susan has been a driving force in creating this book and, partnered with Dr. Robert Echenberg, now offers hope and encouragement to the millions of women struggling with this condition.

Secret Suffering: Understanding Women's Sexual Pain and How That Affects Relationships has it all:

• patient stories
• a husbands point of view
• a same sex couples experience with pelvic pain
• the dilemma confronting single women with chronic pain
• the role of faith
• the poignant story of two men who experience sexual pain.

They talk about the difficulties working with the medical community but the great hope promised by a new, far more accepting medical paradigm of chronic pelvic and sexual pain.

The appendix offers 64 tips to relieve sexual and pelvic pain!

I can't say enough about this book. It's now at the very top of books I will be recommending to patients struggling with IC and intimacy. This will, beyond any other book I can suggest, break your isolation and show you that you are not alone and that there is hope! It's truly a must read.

Now here's the bad news. The publisher has set an astonishingly high price of $44 for the hardback and they are not offering a reasonable wholesale price for support groups like the ICN to sell it. Thus, we have no choice but to refer you all to Amazon.Com. Don't let this stop you... If you can afford it, it will be well worth the investment. It's a lovely book!

TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK AT AMAZON.COM, PLEASE CLICK ON THE TITLE HERE:

SECRET SUFFERING: How Women's Sexual and Pelvic Pain Affects Their Relationships (Sex, Love, and Psychology)