Dyspareunia = painful intercourse
Pain defined as persistent or recurrent in genital part of our body that occurs just before, during or after sex. Painful intercourse can occur for reasons that range from structural problems to psychological concerns. Many women have painful intercourse at some point in their lives.
Symptoms
- Pain only at sexual entry (penetration)
- Pain with every penetration, including putting in a tampon
- Deep pain during thrusting
- Burning pain or aching pain
- Throbbing pain, lasting hours after intercourse
- Other medical conditions that haven’t been diagnosed before, such as endometriosis
Causes
Physical causes of painful intercourse differ, depending on whether the pain occurs at entry or with deep thrusting.
Entry pain
- Not enough lubrication – Result of not enough foreplay or a drop in estrogen levels after menopause or childbirth or during breast-feeding. Sometimes it can be cause by medication you are using. These include antidepressants, high blood pressure medications, sedatives, antihistamines and certain birth control pills.
- Injury, trauma or irritation – This includes injury or irritation from an accident, pelvic surgery, female circumcision or a cut made during childbirth to enlarge the birth canal (episiotomy).
- Inflammation, infection or skin disorder – An infection in your genital area or urinary tract can cause painful intercourse. Eczema or other skin problems in your genital area also can be the problem.
- Vaginismus – Involuntary spasms of the muscles of the vaginal wall can make penetration painful.
- A problem present at birth – Not fully developed reproductive system
Deep pain
Deep pain usually occurs with deep penetration. It might be worse in certain positions. Causes include:
- Certain illnesses and conditions. The list includes endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine prolapse, retroverted uterus, uterine fibroids, cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, adenomyosis, hemorrhoids and ovarian cysts.
- Surgeries or medical treatments. Scarring from pelvic surgery, including hysterectomy, can cause painful intercourse. Medical treatments for cancer, such as radiation and chemotherapy, can cause changes that make sex painful.
Emotional factors
- Psychological issues – Anxiety, depression, concerns about your physical appearance, fear of intimacy or relationship problems can contribute to a low level of arousal and a resulting discomfort or pain.
- Stress – Your pelvic floor muscles tend to tighten in response to stress in your life. This can contribute to pain during intercourse.
- History of sexual abuse – Not everyone with dyspareunia has a history of sexual abuse, but if you have been abused, it can play a role.
It can be difficult to tell whether emotional factors are associated with dyspareunia. Initial pain can lead to fear of recurring pain, making it difficult to relax, which can lead to more pain. You might start avoiding sex if you associate it with the pain.
What to do?
- Train body awareness, mind and body connection
- Lower stress
- Exercise in a right way
- Right diet to lower inflammation
- Right supplementation
- Right hygiene of sleep
- Seek help from a psychologist
- Seek help from an OSTEOPATH who is ALSO performing internal vaginal techniques
In OsteoMedica our osteopaths Aleksandra Zegalski and Deborah Tassi perform pelvic floor evaluation and internal gynecological techniques.