Maintaining Your Sex Life Despite Arthritis Pain

Arthritis pain and the medications you take can really dampen the sparks when it comes to your sex life. Find out how to keep intimacy alive even with joint inflammation and other painful arthritis symptoms.

By Diana Rodriguez

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

When you have arthritis pain, you may not be in the mood to get any exercise, clean the house, or even get out of bed, much less get busy in bed. Even if bed is where you want to relax, sex is likely not the draw. Arthritis pain can make having sex difficult, and the very medications designed to ease your pain can also reduce your sex drive. Here’s help to keep the intimacy alive.

When Arthritis Symptoms Get in the Way of Sex

Joint inflammation and pain can make simple activities like standing up, sitting down, or climbing stairs a challenge, so being intimate might seem impossible — and certainly not enjoyable. Arthritis is also known to bring on the following side effects and challenges:

• Vaginal dryness
• Depression, stress, and anxiety
• Pain and stiffness in the joints
• Low energy and fatigue
• Issues with self-esteem and physical attractiveness
• Reduced sensation due to poor blood flow

When Arthritis Medications Dampen Desire

While arthritis medications may help ease your joint inflammation and pain, they can really impact your sex life with these common side effects:

• Impotence
• Reduced sex drive
• Difficulty achieving orgasm
• Feeling exhausted
• Feeling bloated
• Gaining weight

Reclaiming Intimacy

If you want to reignite your sex life, here what to start with: a little understanding from your partner, careful planning to reduce pain, and open-mindedness about trying new positions to make sex easier on your joints.

Start by talking to your partner about what you're feeling. Discuss your fears, concerns, and the understandable reasons for a lack of interest — make sure your partner knows that your disease and the medication are affecting your interest in sex, not him or her. Address the challenges you face with sex, such as painful intercourse or the inability to achieve orgasm, and suggest new approaches to try that may be less painful for you.

Here are tips to help make sex easier and more fun when you have arthritis pain:

• Plan ahead. Spontaneous sex may have its merits, but sex can still be just as satisfying and romantic when you plan a special night (or day!) ahead of time. Take your medication far enough ahead of time for it to relieve your pain. Try resting up with a short nap earlier in the day so you feel more energized, and have sex during the time of day when you feel best, be it morning, noon, or night.
• Heat things up. Prepare your body with a little heat therapy to help you feel relaxed, sensual, and not as stiff. Soak in a hot bath or shower or apply a heating pad to stiff joints to help them warm up and move a little easier.
• Massage. Not only can a rubdown from your partner help your joints feel and move better, but it will also help get you in the mood for sex.
• Use props. Certain angles and positions may be painful for you, so adjust your body appropriately using pillows or a rolled-up sheet for support during sex.
• Mix up your positions. Maybe familiar positions are painful now — all the more reason to try some new ones that are easier on your joints and possibly even more satisfying. Look for positions that alleviate strain and pressure on the joints that bother you.

As with most other aspects of your life, when you have arthritis pain, sex is all about attitude. Sex is an enjoyable activity that brings you closer to your partner, releases stress, and boosts mood, so don't write it off because of your arthritis — just look it as a challenge that's fun to meet.