11 Painful Intercourse Causes (Dyspareunia): How to Completely Remove Pain

Painful Intercourse Causes (Dyspareunia) – The Menace of women’s health

Painful Intercourse Causes in most individual are as a result of vaginal dryness, genital injury, menopause, infection and many others. Dyspareunia also called Painful Intercourse is a general term used to describe all types of sexual pain upon penetration, during or after intercourse. It can exist anywhere in the genital area – the clitoris, labia, or vagina, etc. The pain may be described as sharp, stinging, burning, bumping, cramping or may be described in other ways.

Dyspareunia Causes

Causes of painful sexual intercourse are varied and include physical factors, psychological factors, or both. The location of the pain may help identify a specific physical cause.

1. Menopause
2. Vaginal dryness
3. Vaginismus
4. Genital injury
5. Inflammation or infection
6. Skin disorders or irritation
7. Abnormalities at birth
8. Physical causes
9. Medical treatments
10. Medical conditions
11. Psychological causes

Vaginal dryness:

During sexual arousal, glands at the entrance of the vagina secrete fluids to aid intercourse. Too little fluid can lead to painful intercourse. Inadequate lubrication can arise from, a lack of foreplay, a reduction in estrogen particularly after menopause or childbirth, medications, including some antidepressants, antihistamines, and birth control pills.

Vaginismus:

The involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles causes vaginismus, leading to painful sexual intercourse. Women with vaginismus may also experience difficulty with gynecological examinations and tampon insertion. There are several forms of vaginismus. Symptoms vary between individuals and range from mild to severe. It can be caused by medical factors, emotional factors, or both.

Genital injury:

Any trauma to the genital region can lead to painful sexual intercourse. Examples include female genital mutilation (FGM), pelvic surgery, or injury arising from an accident. Painful intercourse is also common after childbirth. A research suggested 45 percent of its participants experienced postpartum dyspareunia.

Inflammation or infection:

Inflammation around the vaginal opening is called vulvar vestibulitis. This can cause painful sexual intercourse. Vaginal yeast infections, urinary tract infections, or sexually transmitted infections(STIs) can also lead to painful intercourse.

Skin disorders or irritation:

Painful sexual intercourse may arise from eczema, lichen planus, lichen sclerosus, or other skin problems in the genital area. Irritation or allergic reactions to clothing, laundry detergents, or personal hygiene products may also cause pain.

Abnormalities at birth:

Less common underlying causes of painful sexual intercourse include vaginal agenesis. When the vagina does not develop fully, or imperforate hymen, in which the hymen blocks the vaginal opening.

Physical Dyspareunia Causes:

• Entry pain: Entry pain may be associated with vaginal dryness, vaginismus, genital injury, and others.
• Deep pain: If pain occurs during deep penetration or is more acute in particular positions. It may be the result of a medical treatment or a medical condition.

Medical treatments

Medical treatments that can lead to painful sexual intercourse include

• pelvic surgery,
• hysterectomy, and
• some cancer treatments.

Medical conditions that causes painful sexual intercourse include:

• Cystitis: An inflammation of the bladder wall, usually caused by bacterial infection.
• Endometriosis: A condition arising from the presence of tissue from the uterus in other areas of the body.
• Fibroids: Non-cancerous tumors that grow on the wall of the uterus.
• Interstitial cystitis: A chronic painful bladder condition.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A functional disorder of the digestive tract.
• Ovarian cysts: A build-up of fluid within an ovary.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): Inflammation of the female reproductive organs, usually caused by infection uterine prolapse. One or more pelvic organs extend into the vagina.

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Psychological Dyspareunia causes

Common emotional and psychological factors can play a role in painful intercourse. Anxiety, fear, and depression can inhibit sexual arousal and contribute to vaginal dryness or vaginismus. Stress can trigger a tightening of the pelvic floor muscles, resulting in pain. A history of sexual abuse or sexual violence may contribute to dyspareunia.

Excerpt: Dyspareunia simply means Painful Intercourse. It is a general term used to describe all types of sexual pain. Painful sexual intercourse may occur upon penetration, during intercourse, and/or following intercourse. Dyspareunia causes in most individual are resultant of vaginal dryness, genital injury, menopause, infection and many others as rightly detailed in this work.

In an attempt to prevent painful intercourse, a woman might avoid or discontinue use of the following:

• Perfumed soaps
• Douching
• Vaginal perfumes
• Bubble baths
• Scented or tinted toilet papers
• Panty liners or tight synthetic undergarments such as panty hose

Dyspareunia (Painful Intercourse) Treatment

Since the underlying cause of painful sexual intercourse is often elusive, the clinician acts to ease the pain for the affected patient. It is also helpful to keep tab and make diary of the pain symptoms, its time of onset, pain intensity and duration as it brings clues of what exactly caused the painful sexual intercourse and best treatment approach.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually used to relieve the pain, exercises, massages, sleep, and baths are also recommended. Topical anesthetics are also used to alleviate genital pain. The clinician creates a “pain prescription” together with the patient, they jointly decide what the woman should do when the pain kicks in, and when next she should consult with her medical personnel.

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These are the specialist healthcare professionals you need to meet for dyspareunia treatment:

• Gynecologist: Will do a thorough pelvic examination and testing
• Urologist: will evaluate your bladder and urethra condition
• Behavioral health specialist: Evaluation of possible social or psychological contributors to the painful intercourse.

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General  Advice

If relationship difficulties are considered a fundamental factor in the development of painful sexual intercourse, couples should be encouraged  to talk.  The lack of improvement in this step usually means that the couple should seek professional help from a couple’s counselor.

In any case, treatment are specific to couples and their desires. A combination of behavioral and penetration desensitization exercises, where  the affected woman is encouraged to insert one finger into her vagina, followed by two and three fingers (while at the same time relaxing the  lower muscles)  has been shown to be quite effective for dyspareunia (painful intercourse) treatment.

Graded vaginal trainers in women’s health physiotherapy is also used,  but clear instructions are vital for the success of this approach. If psychological problems persevere, the  patient is to be referred to a psycho sexual therapist. Often the basis of the treatment is enabling the  women to become more comfortable with her genitals in order to overcome the fear of penetration.  Education is also central, and sometimes  there is a need for exploration of fantasies.

Conclusion

Both the patient and the clinician should agree to accept partial improvement and partial gains, as this condition is often a combination of different pathophysiological factors.  Clinicians who have all the necessary information about the causes and potential therapies are in the  position to effectively and comfortably start a conversation about this frequently neglected issue.

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Okaku Martins

Anthony Maximilian