Pain during intercourse is called dyspareunia. This is something that is not normal and needs to be taken care of. The first thing to do is to consult your doctor or your gynecologist who will examine you to determine if it detects an element that could explain this pain during intercourse.
What is dyspareunia
When the pain is in the vagina and on the surface, it is often linked to vaginal dryness, especially after pregnancy, during menopause, or during certain hormonal or chemotherapy treatments. However, vaginal pain can also be related to infection like vaginal yeast infection, vaginosis and in this case there are associated signs like abnormal white discharge. It can also come from a sexually transmitted infection to be detected.
What are the possible causes?
There are also dermatological diseases in the vulva. These are skin diseases located in this area. They are often little known and therefore poorly detected, even though they are a source of frequent sexual pain. The ideal in this case would be to consult a dermatologist. There are, for example, psoriasis of the vulva, eczemas, or flat lichens causing pain on penetration.
When the pain is deep during intercourse, it can be linked to the uterus: the cervix located at the bottom of the vagina is mobilized during sex because the penis will bump against it. In case of fibroma, cyst, polyp, endometriosis, sex can be painful. The tubes and ovaries can also cause pain in the event of various attacks. This is why a gynecologist will usually order an ultrasound to find their cause.
Pain during intercourse is not normal and should be managed. The deep pain during lovemaking can also come from a digestive disorder. Indeed, in the belly, there is the genital system … and also the whole digestive system. Bloating, various digestive disorders, inflammation of the colon for example, can cause pain during sex, as can damage to the rectum. The urinary tract is also very close, especially the bladder, if the bladder is in pain, this can be felt during sex.
How to treat dyspareunia?
Start by making an appointment with your doctor. Before seeing it, prepare well the description of your pain: its exact location (always in the same place or varying from one area to another, at the entrance or rather at the bottom of the vagina, on the surface or in depth), its type (burns, cramps, stretching), when it appears (only during intercourse or also when urinating, during menstruation, while having a bowel movement, etc.) and its intensity. Is it always the same or does it vary?
These questions are important, and if you can’t answer them “cold”, observe yourself during sex so that you can explain the symptoms to your doctor afterwards.
Note that the assessment can be quite long, if the cause of this pain is not immediately found. And it should also be noted that there are sexual pains of psychological origin, often linked to a blockage (tension in the couple, experience of sexual assault …).
Read also :
- Testimonial: I conquered my vulvodynia
- Testimonial: I managed to cure vaginismus
- 9 useful tips for living sex right now
- Female desire: how to boost libido?
