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Painful Intercourse: Typical Reasons Why It Occurs

If you have experienced painful sexual intercourse, you are not alone. Even though it is not often discussed, almost every woman has experienced pain during sex at one time or another. However, while painful intercourse may be a passing occurrence for some women, for other women, pain during sex is something that happens all of the time and that affects all of their intimate relationships. No matter if you have had pain during sex for the first time or if sexual pain is a major problem in your life, it is important to address the reason why it is happening, for the good of your sex life and your overall health.

Painful sexual intercourse, which is also known as dyspareunia, can happen for any number of reasons. The first question in narrowing down the exact cause for the painful sex is whether the pain is a new occurrence or something that has plagued you for a long time. If you have had pain free sex in the past and are experiencing pain during intercourse for the first time, the reason may come down to a related health problem. Sexually transmitted disease can cause you to have pain during sex, especially diseases like Gonorrhea and Chlamydia that cause inflammation.

Pelvic inflammatory disease can also cause painful intercourse, as can viral infections and yeast infections. If you believe you have any of these problems, it is best to hold off on intercourse for a while until you have seen a doctor and received treatment. Sexually transmitted diseases and yeast infections can be transmitted to your partner easily, and then your partner can re-infect you the next time you have sex, starting a cycle of infection.

Growths within your reproductive system may also cause you to have painful sexual intercourse. Polyps on your cervix, though normally symptom-less, can cause pain during sex, as can polyps on your uterus. Fibroid tumors within your uterus may also be to blame for painful sexual intercourse. Sometimes, if you have an ovarian problem, like a cyst, these can cause you to have pain during sex – this kind of pain may increase in certain sexual positions. If there is scar tissue in your vagina from surgery or other injury, this tissue may become inflamed and painful during sex.

If you have experienced painful intercourse for a long period of time, then you may have a condition known as vaginismus. In this condition, the pelvic floor muscles that surround your vagina constrict during sex, making the vagina seem too “small” for sex. In some cases, the muscles may make the vagina completely impenetrable. Women who experience this condition usually have a difficult time using a tampon or having a pelvic exam as well. Vaginismus may occur for reasons a woman is unable to pinpoint, however, often women who experience this condition have been the victim of rape or sexual molestation. This condition tends to have a self perpetuating nature – painful intercourse leads to avoidance of intercourse or it leads to increased tensing of the muscles the next time a woman tries to have intercourse, which makes it more painful again.

The good news about all of these conditions is that it is possible to treat them all. No woman has to live with painful intercourse or has to resign themselves to a life without sex because it has been painful in the past. The key is to bring the problem of painful sex to the attention of your doctor. It can be a difficult subject for many people to broach, but it is important that you do so. Rest assured your doctor has dealt with the problem before and get the medical attention that you need.