Pain during sex
August 20, 2009 in Women's Health by Dr. Peter
Women’s health & fitness guide
This can be a very embarrassing issue for the women and it’s a subject which many women keep to themselves and hide from their partners, however almost all women will at some time in their life experience discomfort or pain during sex. Sometimes this pain can be caused by stress, depression or some other psychological problem but there are many other reasons which can be more likely the cause with the more popular ones being listed below.
An infection
Sometimes painful sex can be the first sign of an infection such as thrush, yeast and bacterial infections will cause a reduction in lubrication and this can cause irritation to the opening of the vagina. Thrush will normally cause itching and a discharge, if you have symptoms such as these you may have to visit your doctor for treatment.
A urinary tract infection can also cause painful sex as there will be pressure on an already inflamed bladder. If you have pain in your abdomen during sex then this could indicate Chlamydia and you should contact your doctor for treatment, most infections can be cleared up very quickly with a course of antibiotics or in the case of thrush a cream, it is important that if thrush is the problem then your partner should be treated too.
Hormonal problems
If you are breast feeding or are going through the change your discomfort might be due to hormonal changes in your body, if your estrogens level has fallen then this can cause dryness and make your vaginal tissue delicate. If this is due to breast feeding then trying a lubricant might help you, women who are going through the change might want to try a lubricant or an oestrogen cream or hormone replacement therapy which you should discuss with your doctor.
Endometriosis
This is a very painful condition which millions of women the world over suffer from; it is a condition which causes the lining of the womb to grow outside of the uterus into the walls of the vagina. The condition can be treated with the use of drugs or in some cases surgery.
Vulvodynia
If the problem is being caused by a burning pain at the entrance to the vagina then you might have a condition which is called vulvodynia, this causes the vulva to become inflamed. No one knows exactly what sets this condition off and how many women actually do suffer in silence from it, there are many experimental options for treatment ranging from cutting out certain foods in the diet to the extreme of surgery but this is only as the last resort when everything else has failed.
