# Lifestyle and Selected Issues Related to Sexual Health: The Importance of Specialist Care in Balneology, Dietetics, and Physiotherapy

## TL;DR

This review explores how lifestyle interventions like physiotherapy, balneology, and diet can help manage female sexual dysfunctions and related gynaecological issues.

## Contribution

The paper provides a synthesis of evidence on non-pharmacological lifestyle interventions for female sexual health, emphasizing their role in pain reduction and quality of life improvement.

## Key findings

- Physiotherapy techniques like pelvic floor training and neuromuscular stimulation reduce dyspareunia and pelvic pain.
- Balneological treatments show analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits for conditions like vulvodynia and endometriosis.
- Dietary measures such as increased fruit intake and omega-3s improve endocrine-metabolic profiles and disease risk.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Sexual health is shaped by lifestyle factors alongside biomedical determinants. This review synthesises evidence on physiotherapy, balneology/peloidotherapy, and diet therapy as preventive and therapeutic adjuncts for female sexual dysfunctions and related gynaecological conditions. Methods: A structured narrative review of PubMed and Google Scholar (June–July 2025) was conducted by three independent reviewers using predefined keywords in English and Polish. Case reports, preprints, and studies before 2015 were excluded. From 7322 records, 47 studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. Results: Physiotherapy—particularly pelvic floor muscle training, multimodal manual therapy, neuromuscular electrical stimulation (including PTNS), magnetostimulation, short-wave diathermy, and capacitive–resistive monopolar radiofrequency—was consistently associated with reductions in dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and urinary symptoms, with parallel improvements in sexual function and quality of life. Balneological procedures (brine baths/irrigations, crenotherapy, selected radon/sulphide/iodine–bromine applications) and peloidotherapy demonstrated analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and perfusion-enhancing effects, with signals of benefit in vulvodynia, endometriosis, and infertility support. Dietary measures—higher fruit intake (notably citrus), adequate vitamin D, targeted omega-3 use in PCOS, a Mediterranean dietary pattern, and prudent red-meat limitation—were associated with favourable endocrine–metabolic profiles and, in selected contexts, reduced disease risk. Conclusions: Integrating lifestyle–medicine modalities with standard care may meaningfully prevent and manage female sexual dysfunctions by addressing pain, perfusion, neuromuscular control, and endocrine–metabolic drivers. Implementation frameworks and high-quality trials are warranted to refine indications, dosing, and long-term effectiveness.