Pain during intercourse

Pain during intercourse, or in medical terms, dyspareunia, occurs regardless of experience, age, and gender. It is very difficult to diagnose and does not tolerate delays in examination and subsequent treatment. In addition, pain during intercourse can form a negative attitude toward sex and develop frigidity, which is absolutely unnatural for a psychologically healthy person.

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Causes of pain during intercourse

Pain during intercourse is best divided by gender, since symptoms in men and women indicate completely different problems.

If a man experiences pain during intercourse, it may be due to:

• Organic causes (too tight foreskin or Peyronie's disease - curvature of the penis).
• Infections and inflammations of the genitals.
• Prostatitis.

The situation is much more complicated in women with pain during intercourse. The range of possible causes is wider:

• Psychological problems (fear, aversion to sex).
• Inflammatory processes and infections (vaginitis, cystitis, endometriosis, adhesions, cervicitis, inflammation of the hymen, uterine fibroids, cysts, etc.).
• Changes in hormonal levels, during which the vaginal mucosa becomes thinner.
• Varicose veins in the pelvic area.
• Uterine retroversion.
• Previous surgical interventions.

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Symptoms of pain during intercourse

Pain of any nature during sexual intercourse, whether sharp or aching, is the most important sign that it is time to seek medical help.

In addition to the main reason, you should think about your health if:

• The pain is not a one-time thing, but occurs every time you have sex.
• In women, the pain is accompanied by such accompanying symptoms as burning, itching and redness of the genitals, and general weakness.
• In men - involuntary and painful urination, pain in the canal and radiating to the anus.

Pain during first intercourse

Pain during the first sexual intercourse is normal, not pathological. Defloration is very rarely painless. When the partner's penis enters, the walls of the vagina contract, which creates discomfort. In addition, the hymen often does not break after the first sexual intercourse, but only stretches due to its elasticity. Therefore, the girl may feel discomfort during sex in the future.

There are no medications for pain during first intercourse. The most important thing is to be mentally prepared, and at the crucial moment to relax as much as possible in a warm, comfortable environment.

Pain before and after intercourse

Often, pain that occurs at the beginning of sexual intercourse is ignored, believing that this is normal. In fact, this may indicate incompatibility of partners or diseases such as vaginismus, venous congestion, or adhesions.

If the pain does not go away after intercourse, then most likely you are faced with a problem such as a sexually transmitted disease, a cyst or inflammation of the cervix.

The nature of pain during intercourse and diseases

Pain of any nature during sexual intercourse, radiating to the anus in men is a sign of prostatitis. In addition, sharp pain in the scrotum during sex can be caused by varicocele (varicose veins) and infectious diseases. If the pain bothers you for some time after sexual intercourse, it can be a sign of unemptied testicles.

In women, the list of diseases associated with this type of pain is much wider.

A nagging and sharp pain in the lower abdomen during sexual intercourse is a sign of cystitis. The disease is accompanied by frequent urination.

Sharp pain and burning indicate fungal diseases or thrush.

If you feel a sharp pain as soon as your sexual partner enters you, then you are most likely dealing with vaginal dryness. This problem usually occurs due to hormonal imbalance, previous medication or – most often – due to the partner’s inattention and neglect of foreplay.

A dull aching pain during sexual intercourse on the right or left side of the lower abdomen indicates a cyst.

Severe, unbearable pain during intercourse, accompanied by burning and vaginal discharge, means that a woman has vaginitis.

Pain in the external genitalia indicates a gynecological disease called vulvodynia.

Dull but annoying pain is a symptom of diseases of the genitourinary organs.

Sharp shooting pain radiating to the leg during sexual intercourse indicates pelvic neuralgia.

The cause of pain can also be a psychological factor (an unsuccessful first sexual experience, fear of sex, dissatisfaction with oneself and one’s partner).

Women feel severe pain during intercourse after childbirth. This may be due to inflammation that has not yet passed or in the case when the stitches and cracks of the new mother have not yet healed. But this does not mean that you need to wait until the pain goes away on its own. You need to go to the doctor, because sometimes in such cases surgical intervention is required.

But pain during intercourse during pregnancy is partly a myth. More precisely, pain may be present, but it is not connected with the “interesting” situation in any way, rather, it is a sign of one of the above-mentioned problems or excessive suspiciousness of the woman.

Diagnosis of pain during intercourse

It is almost impossible to determine the cause of unpleasant sensations on your own. A gynecologist (for women) and a urologist (for men) can diagnose problems that cause pain during sexual intercourse.

In any case, the diagnosis is based on the anamnesis. When you come to the doctor, you need to be ready to clearly answer the question of how long you have been experiencing pain during sex.

It is important for the doctor to know:

• The pain is constant or has arisen for the first time.
• Are there any surgical interventions or problems of a similar nature that have already bothered the patient?

If the tests and examinations show that you are healthy, then you may be referred to a psychotherapist; perhaps the problem is psychological in nature and only this specialist can help you cope with it.

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Treatment of pain during intercourse

In order to cope with pain during sexual intercourse, you first need to find out the cause of the unpleasant sensations during sex in order to begin proper treatment.

Men should see a urologist-andrologist in case of pain during intercourse. Since the stronger sex suffers from discomfort during intercourse mainly due to organic causes, surgical intervention is unavoidable. The doctor will perform plastic correction of the genital organ or slightly excise the foreskin.

If the pain is caused by a psychological factor, a woman needs to undergo psychotherapy (preferably together with her partner).

In case of inflammatory and infectious processes, antibacterial therapy is prescribed, after which the vaginal microflora is restored.

• Vagikal suppositories – one suppository 3 times a day for 10 days.
• As a pain reliever (for men and women), you can take Ibuprofen - no more than 3 tablets per day.
• Antibiotics – Tetracycline (one tablet 0.25 mg no more than six times a day).

As a natural "folk" treatment, it is recommended to take baths with essential oils of lemon balm, juniper, myrtle, rosemary, yarrow, tea tree and savory. For a bath, usually take 5-10 drops.

If the pain does not go away after intercourse (this applies to the external genitalia in women and the scrotum in men), you can try a cold compress - hold ice wrapped in a soft towel (but not more than 15 minutes!)

If the doctor has determined that the pain is associated with a lack of natural lubrication, then the problem is solved simply by selecting lubricants.

Take good care of your health and let such a delicate problem as pain during intercourse never bother you!