Why Do I Feel Pain When Having Sex?

Medical Video: Should I worry if penetrative sex hurts?

Pain during sex in women can occur for various reasons, ranging from physical problems to psychological concerns. Many women have experienced painful sexual relations at least once in their lives. The medical term for pain during sex is dyspareunia, which is defined as pain in the genitals that occurs before, during, and after sexual intercourse. To find out more about dyspareunia, let's look below.

Pain symptoms during sex

If you experience painful sex, you may feel:

Pain is only at the beginning of penetration.
Pain at each penetration, even when inserting a tampon.
Pain that only arises during sexual intercourse, after previously not feeling painful.
Deep pain during penetration.
Pain like heat or pain.
Pulsating pain after sexual activity.

Causes of pain during sex

In many cases, a woman can experience painful sex if the vagina does not have enough lubricant. When this happens, pain can be overcome if the woman relaxes more, and warms up the alias foreplay done before penetration, or if the partner uses additional lubricants. Here are the causes of pain when having sex:

Vaginismus. This is a common condition, involving involuntary spasms of the vaginal muscles. This is usually caused by a fear of being hurt.
Vaginal infection. This condition also often occurs, and is included in fungal infections.
Cervical problems. In this case, the penis can reach the cervix if the penetration is maximal. So, the problem with the cervix, for example infection, can cause pain when receiving deep penetration.
Uterine problem. This problem may include fibroids (abnormal cell growth in the uterus), which can cause pain when deep penetration.
Endometriosis. This is a condition in which the tissue lining the uterus grows outside the uterus.
Ovarian problems. The problem that occurs may be due to the presence of cysts in the ovary.
Pelvic inflammatory disease. With pelvic inflammatory disease, the inner tissue becomes worse and inflamed. What's more, with the pressure of sexual relations, pain will arise.
Ectopic pregnancy. This is a pregnancy where the fertilized egg develops outside the uterus.
Menopause. With the onset of menopause, the vaginal wall can lose normal moisture and become dry.
Sex activity that is too fast after surgery or childbirth.
Sexually transmitted diseases. These may include genital warts, herpes sores, or other sexually transmitted diseases.
Injuries to the vulva or vagina. This injury may include tears during labor or from tears made in the area between the vagina and anus during labor (episiotomy).

Emotional factor

Emotions are strongly related to sexual activity and may play a role in every type of sexual pain. Emotional factors include:

Psychological problems. Anxiety, depression, worries about physical appearance, fear of sexual intercourse or problems in relationships, can contribute to a decrease in arousal and discomfort or pain during sex.
Stressful. Your pelvic muscles tend to narrow when facing sexual activity with stressful conditions. And this will make pain when having sex.
History of sexual abuse. Most women who experience pain during sex have never experienced sexual violence, but if they have been abused, it can also play a role.

Sometimes, it can be very difficult to say whether the pain during sex is caused by physical factors or psychological factors. However, if not addressed, the initial pain can cause repeated fear of sex, which makes a person unable to relax and cause more severe pain.