What Causes Dyspareunia (Painful Sexual Intercourse)?

Although women are more likely to have painful sexual intercourse, men can also feel pain during intercourse. What causes dyspareunia in both sexes?

 

Women are more likely to experience painful sexual intercourse than men.

 

What is dyspareunia and what are the symptoms?

 

The term dyspareunia was already used in ancient Greece and it literally means “difficult copulation” or “inability to copulate”. The condition is of course very unpleasant and may have a strong psychological effect on a person despite the fact that what causes dyspareunia is mostly problems of physical nature.

The most common cause of dyspareunia is the fear of having sex because in such cases sexual intercourse is always associated with unbearable pain. The pain is largely experienced by women, but men can feel it as well. People suffering from dyspareunia have temporary or permanent pain prior to, during or after sexual intercourse.

Insufficient lubrication of the vagina causes dyspareunia, but is only one of the causes. Instead of experiencing pleasure during sexual intercourse, women suffering from dyspareunia feel a burning and unpleasant sensation in their genitals. It’s very important to establish whether pain is felt on the surface or inside the vagina, since this can help determine the cause of dyspareunia. Pain may also appear in the form of muscle cramps or muscle strains. Sexual intercourse can cause redness around the outside of the vagina.

Do you feel a burning and unpleasant sensation in your vagina, testicles or in the head of your penis?

Sexual intercourse

 

Although only few people consult a doctor or gynaecologist, it’s very important to establish whether this is a general physical phenomenon, or whether it depends on a particular situation. Pain can sometimes be caused by insufficient vaginal lubrication during penetration of the penis or by a specific type of erotic stimulation that doesn’t work. We can also talk about psychological causes of dyspareunia: some women who suffer from it experience pain only because they expect it in advance. In the case of pain being felt on the surface of female genitals, it appears during penetration. If pain is felt inside the vagina, it appears during and after penetration.

Try to remember the exact circumstances in which the pain appears during sexual intercourse.

 

What causes dyspareunia in men?

 

Men feel pain in their testicles or on the head of the penis (glans) immediately after ejaculation. Various infections can lead to a painful orgasm. Anatomical deformity of the penis can also cause dyspareunia. In most cases, these problems are related to the foreskin (prepuce). Tiny drops of blood may appear on the ridge (corona) of the glans during sexual intercourse or masturbation. They can cause a very painful sensation. A rare form of dyspareunia in men appears as a pain in the genitals after or during ejaculation. It’s described as a sharp, sudden and burning pain.

In extreme cases, the pain experienced during sexual intercourse can also be caused by the guilt of experiencing sexual pleasure, which is the most common consequence of a certain way of upbringing. If the causes of dyspareunia are psychological in origin, they are also often based on resentment or anger towards the sexual partner, regardless of their conscious or subconscious nature.

What causes dyspareunia? Surprisingly, the causes can also be guilt and anger.

Treatment and medical help

 

If pain is unbearable or increasingly more intense, it’s advisable to seek medical help, which is even necessary if the pain is followed by bleeding or a different type of pain. You can also vomit or feel pain in the rectum. Your doctor will ask you about your past sexual encounters and the history of pain which appears during sexual intercourse.

If you feel pain around the vaginal opening, this could indicate the use of an insufficient amount of lubricant, a slight inflammation around the opening, or painful vaginal cramps that hinder normal and pleasant sexual intercourse. If pain appears in the whole vagina, this can lead to chronic vaginal pain, diseases of vaginal muscles and infections. A professional will examine your lower abdomen and lower back as well as the genital area to detect the source of your pain. This is often performed with an ultrasound. If you need counselling, you should see a urologist, since there is always the possibility that the pain is caused by a urinary tract infection.

Camomile tea has a beneficial effect on the genitals. Wash with it your vagina or your penis. (jlp)

What can you do to help yourself?

 

You should apply a suitable amount of lubricant around the vaginal opening as well as the vaginal lips in sexual intercourse. If you notice redness around the outside of the vagina or the penis, don’t use scented soap to wash your sexual organs. Use soap for children or soap with the pH value of 5.5. Camomile tea also has a beneficial effect. In the morning and evening, wash your vagina or penis with camomile tea, and don’t rinse it with water.

---