Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia) can be experienced by both women and men. Almost every second sexually active person has experienced such a symptom at least once. The problem is delicate, but it needs a solution. If you ignore pain during intercourse or after it, you can miss the onset of a serious illness.
It’s also important to go through gynecological exams 1-2 times a year and do STD testing, even if nothing bothers you. Early diagnosis may help prevent serious health issues. If the pain is already present, there can be multiple causes for it.
Possible Causes of Pain During Intercourse in Women
1. Insufficient secretion production
Pain during intercourse in women may be due to a lack of natural lubrication. The cause of vaginal dryness is hormonal disorders, stress, or lack of stimulation before intimacy. To get rid of discomfort, it is enough to buy a special lubricant in a pharmacy and use it during sex.
2. Sexually transmitted infections
Pain during intercourse accompanies almost all sexually transmitted diseases. The reason is that infectious agents irritate the mucous membrane. Friction damages the tissues, causing pain during intercourse. With infection, the sensations become sharp and cutting. After intercourse, a woman feels a burning sensation in the vagina and may notice bloody, mucous discharge with an unpleasant odor.
3. Endometriosis
Endometrial tissues grow pathologically in the body of the uterus. This condition is considered a disease and requires serious treatment. Endometriosis is often accompanied by a sharp pain during intercourse and a pulling sensation in the groin. A woman's sex drive is reduced.
4. Uterine Fibroid
Large fibroids or multiple tumors provoke aching pain in the lower abdomen during intercourse. A woman may experience similar sensations in the middle of the cycle and during PMS - these are the hallmarks of a neoplasm. Menstruation is profuse, after sex, spotting may appear.
5. Ovarian Cysts
Severe pain can cause paraovarian, endometrial, dermoid, and follicular cysts. The condition is dangerous for a woman's health. In the presence of cysts in the ovaries, pain occurs from the localization of the neoplasm. Sudden sharp sensations may indicate a rupture of the capsule.
6. Yeast Infection
The disease occurs with the pathological growth of Candida fungi. The infection changes the pH of the vagina, causing irritation and inflammation of the mucosa. Even the foreplay can be painful. During intercourse, discomfort increases. The pain can become unbearable, and radiate to the ovaries, accompanied by a burning sensation in the vagina.
7. Bartholinitis
The Bartholin glands are located at the entrance to the vagina. Inflammation of these structures in itself delivers painful sensations, and during intimacy, when blood rushes to the external genital organs, the swelling increases even more. Penetration is difficult. Severe pain after intercourse can persist for several hours.
8. Inflammation of the ovaries
Pain after intercourse can be a symptom of ovarian inflammatory diseases. With these pathologies, a woman may have a fever. The pain is localized from the side of the inflamed ovary and radiates to the groin.
9. Adhesions in the pelvis
Synechia causes painful sensations of a different nature, including discomfort in the lower abdomen. Adhesive processes are characterized by a weakening of symptoms with a change in posture.
10. Vaginismus
A rare disease that occurs only in females of childbearing age. Pathology is manifested by fear of intimacy. The occurrence of vaginismus is often preceded by abuse, a sad first experience, and various mental disorders. A woman feels severe pain even before the start of sexual intercourse.
11. Urinary Tract Infection
Inflammation of the urinary tract increases pressure on the pelvic organs. Diseases are accompanied by frequent urge to urinate, fever, and nagging pain after intercourse.
12. Blood Stasis
Venous blood stagnates in the small pelvis after prolonged sexual abstinence and excessive arousal. During contact, there is cramping pain in the lower abdomen.
13. Physiological Features
Some processes cause pain during intercourse in men and women but are not pathological. Features of physiology do not require special treatment. An experienced doctor will conduct an examination, find out why the pain occurs, and will definitely help solve the problem by selecting the optimal position or surgical intervention, but only at the request of the patient.
