This post discusses the trouble with sex when you have MCAS. And by sex, I do mean actual sexual activity, but I also include the effect of sex hormones in general on Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or MCAS. Sad but true, sex and orgasm tend to activate mast cells and cause MCAS flare symptoms. Read on for the deets.
Table of Contents
Who is Betsy Leighton?
I’m a writer, blogger, and healer dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with their innate peace and wholeness by healing nervous system dysregulation. My personal experience with chronic illness called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) shapes my work, and my content offers tools to empower those with chronic illness to improve their well-being and take charge of their health.
I created the Sacred Self-Healing Method and am a trained and certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider, an author, blogger, and A Course in Miracles Teacher. I hold a Master of Divinity in Spiritual Counseling and am a trained spiritual mentor, with certificates in sound healing, aromatherapy, nutrition, and Sacred Deathcare. I offer a self-study certificate program in the Sacred Self-Healing Method, provide spiritual counseling and coaching, courses, and supported subscriptions for the Safe and Sound Protocol.
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. It can cause severe, disabling symptoms every day, including potentially fatal anaphylaxis. MCAS often occurs with other chronic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Managing MCAS is challenging because many healthcare providers are unaware of it, and diagnostic tests can be unreliable. Treatments include antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers, as well as avoiding triggers. Check out this post on managing MCAS.
What is the trouble with sex when you have MCAS?
Mast cells are present in virtually every type of cell that is part of the reproductive system, including the bladder, prostate, penis, vagina, and uterus. – source
In addition, sexual arousal and sexual activity are well-known triggers for MCAS.
As well, mast cells can be activated from kissing, skin irritation from sexual contact, allergic reactions in the vagina and vulva, allergic reactions to semen, post-orgasmic illness syndrome, male pelvic floor dysfunction, female pelvic floor dysfunction, and the emotional aspects of sex, to name a partial list.
Kundalini energy and MCAS
This month, I decided to take an online course on raising Kundalini energy. Kundalini is an energetic force in living beings and is part of the orgasmic energy in humans. Kundalini energy is not just associated with sexual energy but with creative energy as well. Kundalini energy can be activated through chanting, singing, breathing exercises, and repetitive yoga poses, all of which can trigger mast cell activation. But I figured, what the heck, I want to know what it’s like to raise my Kundalini energy.
I discovered after just one week of the class that even gentle Kundalini exercises, like self-breast massage, caused massive MCAS symptoms in my body. And by week two of the class, I was experiencing a gigantic MCAS symptom flare and had to take a break from the exercises.
MCAS can cause these sex-related symptoms
And according to this source, mast cell activation has been implicated in everything from urinary issues to pregnancy:
Urinary tract symptoms
- Frequency of urination
- Difficulty starting urination
- Incomplete bladder emptying
- Painful urination
- Pain from kidney stones
- Blood in the urine (rare)
Vaginal/reproductive tract symptoms
- Inflamed vulva or vagina
- Vaginitis
- Itchy vulva or vagina
- Spotting between periods
- Painful sex
- Endometriosis
Pregnancy symptoms
- Decreased libido
- Infertility
- Early miscarriage
- Severe, excessive or prolonged vomiting
- Pre-eclampsia
- Pre-term labour
- Poor response to anaesthetics
Hormonal symptoms
- Delayed or premature puberty
- Painful periods
- Irregular periods
- Heavy periods
- Estrogen dominance
- Weak bones
- Thyroid abnormalities
- Blood sugar dysregulation, type II diabetes, and hypoglycemia
The trouble with sex hormones and MCAS
Mast cells also have estrogen, gonadotropin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone receptors, meaning they respond to the hormones involved in preparing the female body to release an egg from an ovary and for pregnancy. – source
Mast cells are more active during PMS, and their activity varies throughout a woman’s monthly cycle. – source
Mast cells are implicated in making female pelvic floor pain worse. – source
How to manage sex with MCAS
Sex is an essential aspect of being human and a healthy way to express intimacy. It’s a major bummer that sexual activity makes me feel sick. Like every aspect of chronic illness, it adds extra layers of complexity, removes spontaneity, and adds additional stress to having to manage another aspect of your life. But it’s also well worth it to be able to experience sex for relaxation and connection with your partner.
The tools I discuss for managing MCAS in this post and this post are relevant for managing sex when you have MCAS.
I’ve found the following guidelines help me to experience sex successfully with MCAS:
- Reserve sexual activity for earlier in the day, so that you have time to manage your symptoms before going to sleep. Your bucket tends to be less full earlier in the day, too.
- Be aware of the level of your bucket and take extra mast cell stabilizers if you are already experiencing symptoms before having sex.
- Lower your expectations. Sex doesn’t have to be performative. Sex doesn’t have to always be about penetration and orgasm. Sexual pleasure can mean mutual pleasuring, massage, holding, and a heart connection.
- Practice self-pleasuring so you know what you can handle and what triggers symptoms before adding someone else to the equation.
- Communicate openly with your partner about your symptoms, what feels good, what triggers flare-ups, and what you need.
- If you want to work with Kundalini energy, remember that less is more. As a compassionate person, I found that by doing just a fraction of the Kundalini exercises for a fraction of the time, I could experience it, work with it, and learn to use it.
Check out these circadian health tools!
I’m an affiliate with Bon Charge, a company that makes tools for circadian health, and you can receive 15% off your order with my coupon code BETSYL.
Bon Charge offers tools such as yellow– and red-tone blue-blocking glasses, red light therapy devices, PEMF mats, infrared saunas, and EMF-blocking products.
Sign up for the SSP!
I’ve found the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) to be the most helpful bottom-up healing strategy if your nervous system has been overloaded with toxic exposures, including mold or non-native EMFs, chronic infections, concussions, stress, or trauma. The SSP is a passive listening therapy based on Polyvagal Theory that helps heal nervous system dysregulation. Many people with MCAS and other chronic conditions have nervous system dysregulation stemming from infections, toxic exposures, concussions, and trauma. The SSP is an easy-to-use app that lets you listen to specially filtered music for 30 minutes each day as part of a 5-hour cycle. Studies show the SSP has a profound effect on mental health and chronic conditions. Here’s a short podcast describing the Safe and Sound Protocol.
You can sign up for the SSP here!
Heal your mind!
While the SSP is a bottom-up, somatic therapy for healing the nervous system, the Sacred Self-Healing Method I offer is a top-down nervous system-healing modality that focuses on cognition, attention, perception, and emotion, using the mind’s higher functions. The SSP and the Sacred Self-Healing Method complement each other and together produce lasting results. Here’s a short podcast on my self-healing practice.
I provide one-on-one in-person and remote chronic illness and caregiver coaching, as well as Sacred Self-Healing Sessions based on the Sacred Self-Healing Method, a proven, novel co-creative healing modality detailed in my Books.
Order my books!
Here’s a short podcast highlighting my five books.
My latest book, Living In The Light: Healing with Forgiveness, Sound, and Light, is all about the tools that have been most helpful for me to heal: forgiveness, sound, through nervous system retraining using the Safe and Sound Protocol, and light, through entraining my circadian rhythm with the energy of the sun. Living In The Light is available here!
Rocks and Roots chronicles my solo backpacking journey on the Superior Hiking Trail and my efforts to overcome nervous system dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms to complete the 328-mile hike successfully.
The Sacred Self-Healing Method ebook is available here and in most ebook retailers!
The Sacred Self-Healing Workbook is available for purchase here!
Betsy’s first book, Sacred Self-Healing: Finding Peace Through Forgiveness, is available here
Companion Recordings
The companion audio recordings of chants, guided meditations, and sound healing demonstrations that accompany the Sacred Self-Healing Method are available for free on my YouTube channel here
What do you think?
I’d love to have your reply below!
Disclaimer
The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure, or treatment.
Check out these circadian health tools!
I’m an affiliate with Bon Charge, a company that makes tools for circadian health, and you can receive 15% off your order with my coupon code BETSYL.
Bon Charge offers tools such as yellow– and red-tone blue-blocking glasses, red light therapy devices, PEMF mats, infrared saunas, and EMF-blocking products.
Sign up for the SSP!
I’ve found the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) to be the most helpful bottom-up healing strategy if your nervous system has been overloaded with toxic exposures, including mold or non-native EMFs, chronic infections, concussions, stress, or trauma. The SSP is a passive listening therapy based on Polyvagal Theory that helps heal nervous system dysregulation. Many people with MCAS and other chronic conditions have nervous system dysregulation stemming from infections, toxic exposures, concussions, and trauma. The SSP is an easy-to-use app that lets you listen to specially filtered music for 30 minutes each day as part of a 5-hour cycle. Studies show the SSP has a profound effect on mental health and chronic conditions. Here’s a short podcast describing the Safe and Sound Protocol.
You can sign up for the SSP here!
Heal your mind!
While the SSP is a bottom-up, somatic therapy for healing the nervous system, the Sacred Self-Healing Method I offer is a top-down nervous system-healing modality that focuses on cognition, attention, perception, and emotion, using the mind’s higher functions. The SSP and the Sacred Self-Healing Method complement each other and together produce lasting results. Here’s a short podcast on my self-healing practice.
I provide one-on-one in-person and remote chronic illness and caregiver coaching, as well as Sacred Self-Healing Sessions based on the Sacred Self-Healing Method, a proven, novel co-creative healing modality detailed in my Books.
Order my books!
Here’s a short podcast highlighting my five books.
My latest book, Living In The Light: Healing with Forgiveness, Sound, and Light, is all about the tools that have been most helpful for me to heal: forgiveness, sound, through nervous system retraining using the Safe and Sound Protocol, and light, through entraining my circadian rhythm with the energy of the sun. Living In The Light is available here!
Rocks and Roots chronicles my solo backpacking journey on the Superior Hiking Trail and my efforts to overcome nervous system dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms to complete the 328-mile hike successfully.
The Sacred Self-Healing Method ebook is available here and in most ebook retailers!
The Sacred Self-Healing Workbook is available for purchase here!
Betsy’s first book, Sacred Self-Healing: Finding Peace Through Forgiveness, is available here
Companion Recordings
The companion audio recordings of chants, guided meditations, and sound healing demonstrations that accompany the Sacred Self-Healing Method are available for free on my YouTube channel here
What do you think?
I’d love to have your reply below!
Disclaimer
The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure, or treatment.
