Do you clench your teeth at the thought of having sex?
Do you have to stop sex because it hurts?
Are you avoiding sex altogether because the pain is just too intense?
If you answered yes to these questions, it’s crucial that you find the source of the hurt. Finding the source is the first step to getting a solution. Here is a list of pain symptoms and their possible causes:
Painful Sex Symptom: Your vagina is sensitive to the touch and feels irritated and itchy. After intercourse you feel intense burning.
Possible Cause: If you have sensitive, itchy genitals that feel on fire after sex, you may have a yeast infection. Yeast infections don’t always produce a discharge. Other causes could be irritation from feminine sprays, bath oils and soaps and scented pads. While you can purchase over the counter yeast infection creams, if you’ve never had a yeast infection before, or you have and the symptoms are a bit different, you should visit your doctor to verify the infection.
Painful Sex Symptom: Your partner’s penis irritates your vagina and the friction of sexual intercourse causes you pain.
Possible Cause: If you are experiencing these hurt symptoms you are probably dealing with vaginal dryness. It’s often a result of medication and things that can cause changes in estrogen levels such as nursing and menopause. Discuss the issue with your doctor to get a diagnosis and to see what your options are – such as hormone replacement therapy or something as simple as using a water-based lubricant.
Painful Sex Symptom: You have pain in your genitals and they burn and sting during foreplay and intercourse.
Possible Cause: Pain and burning during foreplay and intercourse can be a sign of Vulvodynia. This is a condition that causes irritation of the vulvar nerve endings. It can affect only the vaginal opening or it can affect your entire vulvar region. Talk with your doctor about your pain and see what types of treatment options are available.
Painful Sex Symptom: You feel a stabbing pain throughout your entire abdomen during deep, sexual intercourse and it lingers after sex.
Possible Cause: Women who experience this symptom may be dealing with Endometriosis. This is where the tissue lining the uterus attaches itself to organs in your pelvis. Talk with your doctor about your pain. Endometriosis should not be ignored as it can cause infertility.
Painful Sex Symptom: Deep penetration causes a stabbing pain on one side.
Possible Cause: Feeling a sharp stabbing pain on either the right of left side during deep penetration can be a sign that you have an ovarian cyst. Ovarian cysts can also cause you to feel a dull ache during your menstrual cycle. While most ovarian cysts go away on their own and are harmless, you should visit your doctor.
Painful Sex Symptom: You feel as if your partner’s penis is hitting something when you have sexual intercourse.
Possible Cause: This hurt symptom is often a sign of uterine fibroids. These are tissues that grow on the uterine wall and they are benign, but they can cause painful sex. While no one is certain what causes them, some medical professionals believe their growth is somehow related to estrogen. Visit your doctor and discuss your symptoms. An ultrasound will often be performed to confirm fibroids. If they are confirmed your doctor will tell you about available treatment options.
Painful Sex Symptom: Sex is painful to your vaginal lips and/or you feel a growth in one of your vaginal lips. When you are sexually aroused the area throbs and feels hot.
Possible Cause: You probably have a blocked Bartholin’s gland. Women have one of these glands in each of their vaginal lips. They can become clogged and infected. Visit your doctor to have the blockage removed.
Painful Sex Symptom: The skin area between your rectum and your vagina is tender and it feels stretched when you are having sex.
Possible Cause: This hurt symptom is often due to having a tear or an episiotomy during childbirth. It can take three to four months for the area to heal after giving birth. To help soften a perineum that has a hard, taut scar, massage it daily with lubricant. If you are still feeling discomfort, talk to your doctor about a numbing agent that you can be prescribed that will ease the discomfort while the area continues to heal.
No one should ever feel that sex and pain go hand-in-hand. If sex is painful, there’s a problem. You owe it your health and your relationship to get to the bottom of any hurts that you may be experiencing.
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