These female pains we minimise: your body is communicating

"We found nothing."

"It's all in your head."

"It's normal to hurt."

No. That is not normal.

If you have ever heard one of these phrases in a doctor's office, you are not alone. And you did not imagine your pain.

What medicine has long refused to hear

It is no coincidence that women's pain took so long to be recognised. For centuries, Western medicine used the concept of hysteria — from the Greek hystera, meaning uterus — to label what it could not explain in women. Nervousness, unexplained pain, behavioural disorders: hysteria. The very word betrays the thinking.

Even today, some medical schools still teach endometriosis by invoking emotional causes. And the vast majority of reference clinical studies have been conducted on male subjects — the model patient is a 70 kg man. Dosages, protocols, pain thresholds: calibrated for a body that is not yours.

This is not a theory. It is a documented reality. And knowing it is the beginning of stepping out of shame.

These pains we dare not name

In consultations, women rarely arrive with a clear diagnosis. They arrive with years of unanswered questions, and often one phrase: I was told it was in my head.

And yet, these pains — we give them labels, they have precise names.

Dysmenorrhoea — painful periods — affects between 50 and 90% of women of reproductive age. Vulvodynia: chronic pain of the vulva with no identifiable infectious cause. Endometriosis causes intense pelvic pain, often for years before a diagnosis is made. Hypertonic pelvic floor syndrome causes tension, pain and difficulty during intercourse. Pudendal neuralgia radiates from the pudendal nerve and can affect various areas of the vulva and clitoris. And vaginismus — discussed further on — is an involuntary contraction that makes penetration impossible or very painful.

With or without a name, with or without a label, with or without a diagnosis, these are not imaginary pains. They are clinical realities that naturopathy supports, sometimes alongside other health professionals. Many pains can be accompanied without giving them a label, a name, a diagnosis. We can support inflammation, hydration, acidity, detox for example. Symptoms and terrain give us the useful information to look for the root cause... Rebalancing the terrain, little by little.

What I hear in consultations

Every week, women come to see me after years of pain.

Period pains so debilitating they can no longer work, care for their children, live a 'normal' life. Cyclical migraines that return like clockwork. Diffuse pelvic pain for which all tests came back normal.

Several of my clients had pains in the pudendal nerve area: in the groin, the clitoris, the perineum.

They had consulted: doctors, gynaecologists, had X-rays, ultrasounds, scans, MRIs...

They were told there was nothing wrong.

And yet, by working holistically on their vital terrain, we managed to reduce and relieve many pains, with natural tools, sometimes manual, sometimes dietary.

What moves me most: many clients come back saying their pains are easing with what they have put in place... even though that was not even the original goal of their consultation.

Period pains, migraines, breast tenderness, PMS, urinary infections, incontinence, discomfort or pain during intercourse — the body responds, when we finally listen to it.

These women often waited years before looking for another path. Because they had internalised that it was normal. Or that it was in their heads. Or that they were too sensitive.

These are not anecdotes. These are signals that no one learned to read.

The vital terrain: looking where medicine does not look

In naturopathy, we speak of terrain to describe the set of conditions in which a body functions — nutrition, sleep, stress, emotional history, accumulated physical tensions, hormonal cycles, vitality.

When the terrain is weakened, the body sends signals. Pain is one of them. Persistent, cyclical pain that is difficult to locate — that is a body asking for attention. Not a body that is overreacting.

This is precisely what Rina Nissim sets out in Mamamélis, her manual of naturopathic gynaecology: what if women took back control of their gynaecological health? The self-help gynaecology she has championed for decades rests on a simple idea — your body is yours, and you have the right to know it. This is exactly what I offer in consultations, retreats and training: giving you the keys to understand what your body is expressing, and no longer depending solely on an external diagnosis to move forward.

The pelvic floor, the perineum and the pudendal nerve

Bernadette de Gasquet said it forcefully: "Pelvic floor, let's stop the massacre"

Births that were too fast, unjustified episiotomies, gynaecological examinations without informed consent — all of this leaves traces on the pelvic floor. On the pudendal nerve. On the way a woman inhabits her pelvis, her body.

This nerve — once called the nerve of shame, pudendum meaning shame in Latin — innervates the entire pelvic floor, the clitoris, the uterus, the sphincters. When it is irritated or poorly regulated — due to chronic inflammation, prolonged stress, or a hypertonic pelvic floor — pain sets in. Diffuse, persistent, resistant to standard examinations.

It is not that nothing was found. It is that no one looked in the right place.

Vaginismus: when the body says no

Let me give an example.

Vaginismus is an involuntary and reflexive contraction of the vaginal muscles that makes penetration difficult or impossible — whether for sexual intercourse, a gynaecological examination, or using a tampon. It is not a conscious choice. It is the body protecting itself.

I regularly receive women who have been living with this condition for years, often in silence. Some have not yet put a name to it. Others have been examined without preparation, without information, and their experience has reinforced the problem.

Vaginismus manifests in very different degrees — from a slight tension that makes intercourse uncomfortable to a total contraction that makes it impossible.

There is not one single vaginismus. There is a woman, a history, a body, a unique combination of factors.

This is why we work together on four levels simultaneously:

The physical body: inflammation of the mucous membranes, vaginal dryness, lack of hydration, pelvic floor tone, gentle and conscious perineal rehabilitation. You cannot ask a tense and malnourished body to open up. We start by giving it back resources.

The emotions: vaginismus often develops after a painful experience, a non-consensual intrusion, or shame experienced around sexuality. Emotional work — whether supported by a therapist, a midwife trained in sexology, or within a naturopathic framework — is helpful.

I welcome words without judgement, with kindness.

The mind: our beliefs about sexuality, about the female body, about what femininity should look like run deep. Many women believe their sex is dirty, that the vulva smells bad — there are even trends like eating pineapple so that the «pussy» does not smell bad... So many products are sold to mask feminine odours: intimate gel, intimate soap, wet wipes. All of this contributes to a relationship of disgust or shame with one's own body. These beliefs are not neutral. They contribute to the contraction. Freeing oneself from these beliefs is fundamental. And becoming aware of them is already a great step forward.

The energetic level: in Ayurveda, the sacral chakra — called svadhisthana — is associated with sexuality, creativity, pleasure and relationship with others. When this centre is blocked, the pelvis closes, boundaries become rigid rather than alive.

Flower essences can support this work. Basil essence is one I often explore with women who experience sexuality under tension: it addresses states of repression, shame and prohibition around sexuality — and its potential is that of a sacred, authentic sexuality, inhabited by trust and pleasure.

There is no universal solution. But there is always something to do, to release, to reopen.

Natural gynaecology: working with the body, not against it

As a herbalist and naturopath, I offer a way of approaching women's health: working with the body, not against it. Listening rather than correcting. Honouring cycles rather than suppressing them.

This wisdom of plants and cycles — carried for millennia before academic medicine disqualified it — is at the heart of what I practise in feminine naturopathy.

Natural gynaecology does not claim to replace the doctor. It aims for greater autonomy and understanding.

It offers a space where the body is not a problem to be solved, but an intelligence to be supported.

A few plant allies: some have a specific action on the hormonal situation. Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) regulates the cycle by acting on the pituitary gland — precious in perimenopause or when the cycle becomes irregular. Shatavari — wild asparagus root used in Ayurveda for centuries — nourishes the mucous membranes, supports fertility and accompanies hormonal transitions. Sage is an ally for hot flushes and night sweats.

For inflammation and circulation in the pelvic area, I use yarrow extensively — antispasmodic, it facilitates menstrual flow and soothes cramps. And lady's mantle, gentle, which supports the luteal phase and acts on premenstrual pain.

I always remind: plants are not without effect. They are integrated into a global approach, adapted to the terrain. They are subtle and it is important to combine them well to achieve positive synergies.

That is the whole point of the consultation.

Nutrition through the cycle: dark leafy greens provide the minerals that menstruation depletes. Quality fats — avocado, nuts, olive oil, small oily fish — are the precursors of hormones. A few days of personalised detox, well placed in the month, can relieve many symptoms.

Personalised nutrition is therefore inseparable from this foundational work to improve our health.

The liver, the silent conductor

We talk a lot about female hormones. We talk little about the organ that processes them.

The liver is at the heart of female hormonal balance. It is what metabolises and eliminates circulating oestrogens to render them soluble and evacuate them. When the liver is overloaded, fatigued, or simply poorly supported by nutrition and lifestyle, this elimination slows. Oestrogens accumulate. And that is where imbalances set in: painful cycles, intense premenstrual syndrome, tension in the lower abdomen, fluctuating moods.

This is not fate. It is information.

Supporting the liver means lightening its load: less sugar, alcohol, pollutants. It also means giving it what it needs: bitter vegetables, cabbage and cruciferous vegetables, plants like artichoke. And letting it rest — the liver works at night. It is no coincidence that women with an overloaded liver often have disrupted sleep in the second part of the night.

And women's sleep?

I think this is one of the least taken seriously topics in women's health. Everyone says "sleep better". No one says how, in your specific situation.

Because a woman's sleep is not the sleep of a generic human being. A woman in perimenopause may be woken by hot flushes at 2am, 3am, 4am — studies show that 40 to 50% of women in menopausal transition report a significant deterioration of their sleep.

During pregnancy, it is another challenge: the baby's movements, frequent urges to urinate, difficulty finding a comfortable position, nocturnal anxieties — sleep fragments well before birth. And after, breastfeeding involves repeated wake-ups, sometimes for months or years.

And even before reaching perimenopause or motherhood, there is the mental load: the shopping list we go through as we fall asleep, the children's appointments, work, relationships. A brain that does not stop. Sleep is often the first victim.

In naturopathy, sleep is a fundamental pillar of health — as important as nutrition, breathing and elimination. Not a luxury. A physiological necessity.

When a woman chronically sleeps badly, her terrain weakens, her liver recovers less well, her hormones destabilise, her capacity to manage pain diminishes.

Real pain in a body that has been ignored

Martin Winckler was one of the first French doctors to publicly name what many women already knew: medicine exercises systemic violence on female bodies. His novel Le Choeur des femmes tells from the inside what a medical system that learns not to listen looks like.

Gynaecological and obstetric violence is today recognised as a reality. Examinations imposed without consent, pain minimised during childbirth, patients' words ignored. This violence leaves traces. Physical. Emotional. Mental. Energetic.

Your body is not being dramatic.

It is communicating.

And it deserves to be heard — without judgement, without minimisation, with all the respect it is due.

Frequently asked questions

Why are women's pains not taken seriously?

It is a documented reality. For centuries, women's pains were minimised or psychiatrised. Even today, a woman waits on average 7 to 10 years before obtaining a diagnosis of endometriosis. It is not in your head. It is in a healthcare system that was built that way.

Is it normal to have pain during periods?

Sensations, mild contractions — yes, that is physiological. Pains that prevent you from living, that confine you to bed, that require systematic painkillers — no. This is not inevitable. It is information about your terrain that deserves great attention.

What is vaginismus?

It is an involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles that makes penetration difficult or impossible. It is not a conscious refusal, it is a protection reflex. It can be worked on — physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically. Always in a personalised way.

What is the link between my liver and my menstrual pain?

The liver metabolises and eliminates oestrogens. If it is overloaded, hormones accumulate. The result can be painful cycles, intense premenstrual syndrome, chronic pelvic tension. Supporting the liver — through nutrition, plants, sleep, sometimes even through purges or fasting — is part of the foundational work.

Can naturopathy help with chronic pelvic pain?

Naturopathy can support the female organism holistically: rebalancing the terrain, reducing inflammation, supporting the hormonal system, working on emotions and lifestyle. The approach is always personalised — there is no universal protocol for women's pain. Many of my clients see significant improvement in their symptoms (endometriosis, period pains, PMS, bacterial vaginosis, urinary infections, vaginal infections, thrush...)

What if I have been suffering for years without explanation?

You are not alone. Medical wandering is a reality for many women. Naturopathy can be a space to begin investigating differently — not instead of medicine, but alongside it.

In this series

In this series:

-> What if the clitoris also helped relieve pain?

-> The clitoris: the whole organ — what your body already knows

-> These female pains we minimise

-> Medical wandering and female pain

Go further

If you recognise yourself in what you have just read, I invite you to book a consultation.

I accompany women in personalised naturopathic consultations, remotely.

Book a consultation ->

Naturo Femmes Training — from September 2026 !

10 workshops to understand your female body, from puberty to post-menopause. Cycles, pain, hormones, plants, feminine energy — a naturopathic hygienist and holistic approach.

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