Experiencing Painful sexual intercourse? Here’s What you Should Do

Common causes of painful sexual intercourse

This pain may occur at the vaginal opening or deep in the pelvis. It is usually felt at every attempt of penetration including putting in a tampon, during thrusting or hours after sexual intercourse. This occurs for reasons ranging from morphological problems to physiological concerns, some of which are:

• Vaginal dryness
• Previous Injury or irritation
• Vaginismus (involuntary contraction of muscles of the vagina)
• Congenital abnormalities
• Surgery
• Vaginal atrophy
• Stress
• History of Sexual abuse and so on

Pain during sexual intercourse can also be a result of an underlying illness to which the pain is an indication. Asides from the physical pain, Dyspareunia can have a negative emotional effect on both partners thereby posing a threat to relationships.

To reduce or totally eradicate this pain, the following can be done

• Use lubricants
• Engage in longer foreplay to encourage secretion of the body’s natural lubricants
• Have sex when you and your partner are relaxed
• Choose a comfortable sex position to minimize pain
• If the pain persists, please speak with a gynaecologist for proper evaluation.