what does it mean when it hurts to have sex

• Facts
  • Facts and Definition of Painful Intercourse (Sex)
• What Is
  • What Is Painful Intercourse (Sexual activity)?
• Causes
  • What Causes Painful Intercourse (Sex activity)?
• Symptoms
  • What Are the Symptoms of Painful Intercourse (Sex)?
  • When to Seek Medical Care for Painful Intercourse (Sex)
• Diagnosis
  • How Do Wellness Intendance Professionsals Diagnose the Cause of Painful Intercourse (Sex)?
• Home Remedies
  • What Natural or Home Remedies Help Salvage Painful Intercourse (Sex)?
• Treatment
  • What Medical Treatments Are Available for Painful Intercourse (Sex)?
• Doctor Specialists
  • Which Specialties of Doctors Treat Painful Intercourse (Sex)?
• How to Prevent
  • Is It Possible to Prevent Painful Sexual Intercourse?
• Prognosis
  • What Is the Outlook for a Person with Painful Intercourse (Sex)?
• Guide
  • Painful Intercourse (Sex) Topic Guide
  • Doctor's Notes on Hurting During Intercourse Symptoms

Facts and Definition of Painful Intercourse (Sex)

Women With Vaginal Pain Discussing With Her Gynecologist

• Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia) is pain or discomfort in a adult female's labial, vaginal, or pelvic areas during or immediately following sexual intercourse.
• The discussion dyspareunia comes from the early on Greek language, and its meanings include "difficulty mating" or "badly mated." Pain during intercourse is described in medical literature dating back to the ancient Egyptian scrolls.
• Today, virtually causes of dyspareunia can exist easily discovered and treated.
• Many women experience some pain during their offset episode of vaginal sexual intercourse.
• The number of women who experience pain during intercourse is unknown considering the symptoms vary. Also, both doctors and women neglect to freely discuss sexual practices.
• Contempo studies suggest that more than many women written report current or previous episodes of pain during sexual relations.
• Fewer than half of these women discussed this pain with their doctors.

What Is Painful Intercourse (Sex)?

Painful intercourse or painful sex can be experienced as pelvic hurting, vaginal hurting, or hurting in the labial or vulvar areas during sex. Pain may be experienced every bit deep pain, abrupt pain, or a burning sensation.

What Causes Painful Intercourse (Sex)?

Pain during intercourse is 1 of the most common causes of issues of sexual dysfunction. The prevalence of such pain seems to be increasing over fourth dimension. Possible reasons for this credible increased prevalence include the following:

• Changes in sexual behavior
• An increase in the frequency of sexually transmitted diseases
• Increased willingness to hash out sexual behavior and dysfunction
• Due to thinning and dryness of the vaginal walls after menopause, some women report that sex is more painful than prior to menopause.
• Vulvodynia is a status that causes chronic pain in the vulvar area that is not related to a known crusade. Women with vulvodynia may experience pain with sexual intercourse.
• Other conditions that can cause painful intercourse include
  • injuries or irritation of the vagina due to whatsoever cause,
  • infections,
  • vaginismus (muscle spasms of the vaginal wall muscles),
  • urinary tract infection, and
  • skin conditions that touch the genital areas.

What Are the Symptoms of Painful Intercourse (Sex)?

Symptoms of pain related to sexual intercourse can occur when entry is attempted or during and/or immediately following sexual intercourse.

• The most common symptom is hurting on entry (intromission). The pain may be described as sharp or burning.
• The second most common symptom is deep pain.
• Other symptoms include feelings of musculus spasms, pelvic cramping, or musculus tightness.

Pain during intercourse may be described as primary or secondary; every bit complete or situational; and as superficial-entrance or deep thrust types.

• Primary pain with intercourse is pain that has existed for the adult female'due south unabridged sexual lifetime.
• Secondary pain develops after a symptom-complimentary catamenia of time.
• Complete hurting means the woman experiences hurting in all times during intercourse.
• Situational hurting occurs with a item partner or a certain type of stimulation.
• Superficial-entrance hurting is noticeable at penetration.
• Deep thrust hurting is located at the cervix or in the lower abdominal expanse and is noticeable during or subsequently penetration.

A adult female may perceive pain during intercourse fifty-fifty without any physical cause. Sexual pain without an credible physical cause may accept a psychological origin.

When to Seek Medical Care for Painful Intercourse (Sex)

A adult female should always consult a health care professional person if she is experiencing new or worsening hurting, bleeding, or discharge following intercourse.

Pain related to intercourse is a condition near appropriately checked by a primary health care professional person or a women's health specialist (gynecologist). Other specialists, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist or a urologist, may as well be consulted depending on the underlying cause.

Hurting during intercourse is generally not an emergency. A woman should seek care in a hospital's emergency department if she experiences any of the following symptoms:

• New onset of pain or pain more severe than previous episodes and that lasts more than merely a few minutes
• Bleeding following hurting, particularly new onset or severe pain
• Nausea, vomiting, or rectal pain following intercourse
• A new discharge

QUESTION

Condoms are the best protection from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). See Answer

How Practice Health Intendance Professionsals Diagnose the Cause of Painful Intercourse (Sex)?

A health care professional should ask about a woman's history of pain during intercourse. A thorough history and an all-encompassing physical exam often reveal the near probable cause of this pain.

• A medical history identifying pain at the vaginal opening may suggest one of the following:
  • Inadequate lubrication during the arousal stage (may exist associated with hormonal changes or medications)
  • Inflammation at the opening into the vagina
  • Painful spasms of the vagina that preclude intercourse
• Pain located in the entire vaginal area may point conditions such equally vulvar muscle degeneration, chronic vulvar hurting, or a vaginal infection (fungal, parasitic, or bacterial).
  • At times, a specific area of discomfort may exist identified that might suggest some other crusade for the pain, such as inflammation of the urethra (the tube through which urine exits the body).
  • Deep thrust dyspareunia refers to pain which occurs with deep repetitive vaginal penetration by her partner. A common complaint is that it feels every bit though her partner is "bumping" into something which causes hurting with pelvic thrusting. This type of pain may suggest abnormalities of the pelvic organs, such every bit endometriosis, adhesions, or uterine prolapse.
  • Pain in the middle of the pelvis may suggest a uterine origin. Hurting on 1 or both sides of the pelvis is more suggestive of pathology involving the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and ligaments.
• A health care professional may perform an extensive physical test of the woman'southward pelvis, belly, and lower back to better empathize both her beefcake and the location of her pain. The exam may also allow the adult female to better guide the md to the location of the discomfort. Part of this exam should include a rectal exam or rectovaginal exam. The exam may include a Pap smear, the drove of vaginal or cervical fluids for civilisation, an assay of the urine (urinalysis), and other laboratory tests.
• A health care professional may recommend special radiological tests, such as a pelvic ultrasound or a CT scan or an MRI of the pelvis.
• The doctor may perform a urethrogram (an 10-ray procedure to provide an paradigm of the urinary tract), a cystogram (an 10-ray examination that images the urinary bladder), or both, or the woman may exist referred to a specialist (urologist) for these procedures. Another diagnostic procedure that may be used to look for urinary abnormalities is a cystoscopy, in which the doctor uses a thin, lighted probe to see the interior lining of the float and urethra. Frequently, referral to a urologist may be necessary to accomplish these procedures.

What Natural or Home Remedies Help Relieve Painful Intercourse (Sex)?

Applying lubricating gels to the outer sexual organs, the vulva and labia, also equally using lubricating products in the vagina may be helpful to some women and ease hurting during intercourse. Sex toys, such as vibrators or dildos, may also be useful. A woman should talk with her wellness care professional earlier attempting to use a vaginal dilator.

What Medical Treatments Are Bachelor for Painful Intercourse (Sex activity)?

Treatment of pain during intercourse depends on the cause. Introital pain may exist treated when the crusade is identified.

• Atrophy (thinning of the vaginal walls) due to menopause: Entrance (introital) pain caused by vaginal atrophy is mutual amid postmenopausal women who do not take estrogen replacement medication. Claret menses and lubricating capacity answer directly to estrogen replacement. The nigh rapid reversal of vaginal atrophy occurs when topical estrogen vaginal cream is applied directly to the vagina and its opening. This cream is bachelor past prescription merely. Newer not-estrogen products are too now available.
• Urethritis and urethral syndrome: Irritation of the urethra and lower bladder tin be caused past a lack of estrogen. This may result in urinary burning, frequency, and hesitancy. In such cases there may be no evidence of bacterial infection on microscopic test of the urine. In the absenteeism of any chronic inflammation of the urethra, these symptoms may exist caused by these symptoms may be caused by muscle spasms, anxiety, low estrogen levels, or a combination of these factors. The medico may dilate the urethra or may prescribe low-dose antibiotics. At times, antidepressants and antispasmodic medications to reduce musculus contractions in the bladder may too be prescribed.
• Inadequate lubrication: Treatment of inadequate lubrication depends on its specific etiology. One option of treatment includes water-soluble lubricants (for use with condoms, as other types of lubricants may damage wall of the prophylactic). If adequate arousal does not take identify, more extensive foreplay might be helpful in increasing vaginal wet.
• Vaginismus: Painful spasms of muscles at the opening of the vagina may be an involuntary merely appropriate response to painful stimuli. These spasms may exist due to several factors, including painful intromission, previous painful sexual experiences, prior sexual corruption, or an unresolved conflict regarding sexuality. For a woman with vaginismus, her doctor may recommend behavior therapy, including vaginal relaxation exercises.
• Vaginal strictures (abnormal narrowing): Doctors unremarkably see vaginal strictures post-obit pelvic surgery, pelvic irradiation, or menopause. Passive dilation and estrogen are used to treat these strictures. Occasionally, vaginal reconstructive surgery is necessary.
• Interstitial cystitis: This status refers to chronic inflammation of the bladder with no known crusade. Withal, painful intercourse is a common symptom. A physician may perform a cystoscopy (a procedure to expect within the bladder) and distend (stretch) the float wall in social club to attempt treatment of the condition. Other treatments include bladder washings with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), likewise as oral medications, e.g. imipramine (Tofranil) or pentosan (Elmiron).
• Endometriosis: Endometriosis occurs when the lining of the uterus is plant in ectopic locations exterior the interior of the uterus. Pain during intercourse caused by endometriosis is seen frequently. Relief of this pain often indicates success in treating endometriosis.
• Vulvovaginitis (inflammation of the vulva and vagina): Whether recurrent or chronic, this problem is common despite the ascent in the number of over-the-counter treatments.
  • If not responsive to cocky-treatment with lubricating gels or initial treatment past a medico, a adult female may need a more than thorough evaluation to identify the crusade.
  • A dr. may ask a woman if she is using an antibody or antifungal medication or if she douches. If and so, these practices should exist stopped to assistance determine whether a specific disease-causing organism is nowadays. Instruction in proper vaginal hygiene may exist helpful.
  • Treatment is based on the presence of bacteria or other organisms. Oftentimes, no single organism is identified. The doctor may talk to the woman about proper hygiene.
  • If recurring symptoms are shared with a sexual partner, both individuals should be tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
  • A physician should consider the possibility of intermittent urethral infection with chlamydia, (an STD), as well as the more than common urinary tract infection. If either is discovered, they should be treated with the appropriate antibiotics.
• Pelvic adhesions (tissue that has go stuck together, sometimes developing after surgery): Hurting with intercourse caused by pelvic adhesions can be relieved by removing or cut gratuitous the adhesions.
• Uterine retroversion: In addition to the causes previously discussed, the patient may likewise accept what is called uterine retroversion equally a crusade of their pain. This term refers to a uterus which is tilted backward in the pelvis, as opposed to the normally forward tilted orientation. This can exist built or due to childbirth injury to the ligaments supporting the uterus. Information technology may also be due to pelvic adhesions which pull the uterus backward into an abnormal location. This status frequently requires gynecologic surgery for correction.

With an adequate history, physical examination, and laboratory testing, the doctor should be able to pinpoint the cause of dyspareunia. This will let for the evolution of a plan of activity that will afford the best possibility of resolution of the pelvic pain syndrome.

Which Specialties of Doctors Treat Painful Intercourse (Sex)?

A adult female may need to see the following specialists:

• Gynecologist: Thorough pelvic examination or testing
• Urologist: Evaluation of the bladder and urethra
• Behavioral health specialist: Evaluation of possible social or psychological contributors to the trouble

Is Information technology Possible to Foreclose Painful Sexual Intercourse?

In an attempt to prevent painful intercourse, a woman might avert or discontinue utilize of the following:

• Perfumed soaps
• Douching
• Vaginal perfumes
• Chimera baths
• Scented or tinted toilet papers
• Panty liners or tight constructed undergarments such every bit panty hose

What Is the Outlook for a Person with Painful Intercourse (Sexual activity)?

Today, the causes of hurting during intercourse are often discoverable and amenable to treatment. For best results, a team approach is recommended involving all of the specialists listed above.

From

Pelvic Disorders That Cause Painful Sex in Women

A number of pelvic disorders in women can crusade painful sexual practice (intercourse), and thus decrease sexual satisfaction, for example:

• Vaginal dryness caused by insufficient stimulation (the near mutual reason), conditions similar perimenopause and hormone imbalances; or medications. Vaginal dryness tin can inhibit sexual arousal or brand intercourse uncomfortable.
• Obstructions or anatomical changes, for example, endometriosis, pelvic mass, ovarian cyst, surgical scars.
• STDs like Gonorrhea, herpes, genital warts, chlamydia, and syphilis are infectious diseases spread past sexual contact. They can cause changes in the genitals that make sex uncomfortable or even painful.

References

Bachmann, and Richard J. Santen. "Patient Education: Vaginal Dryness (Beyond the Basics)." UpToDate.com. October. 24, 2018. <https://www.uptodate.com/contents/vaginal-dryness-beyond-the-basics>.

Heim, Lori J. "Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis of Dyspareunia." American Family Physician 63.8 (2001): 1535-1545.

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