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7 Health Conditions That Can Provoke Painful Sex

• Posted by Amelia Grant February 12, 2021 Filed in Health #  health  #Painful Sex  194 views
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  While we expect sex to feel good, many women experience pain during intercourse. Although sometimes a little pain is pleasurable, unexpected or extremely painful sex can seriously kill your mood. It might also indicate an underlying health condition. Gynecologists always say that sex should not be painful.

  There are perfect everyday reasons why sex may be a little painful. For example, if you’re not adequately aroused, you might be too dry down there or feel your muscles are a little tight. It’s common and it’s okay. That’s where foreplay and lube can help. 

  However, sex can become painful for identifiable reasons. Painful intercourse is common and can be linked to the sensitivity of the skin, muscles, cervix, and uterus at any given time. But if you believe that  it could be due to an underlying health problem, it’s time to visit your gynecologist. While you’re waiting for your appointment, you can find out about some health conditions that could trigger painful sex:  

  1. Fibroids 

  Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in the walls of the uterus. More than 70 percent of women will get uterine fibroids at some point in their lives, though they only provoke symptoms in about 25 percent of them. Symptoms include painful sex, heavy periods, constipation, and abdominal bloating.

  2. Vulvodynia 

  Vulvodynia is a chronic vulvar pain that’s often described as a burning or stabbing pain in the inner and outer labia around the opening of the vagina. The reasons for this condition are still unknown, but applying pressure to this area usually results in discomfort and pain.

  In some cases, even sitting for a long time or wearing tight pants can cause pain in the area. For some women, vulvodynia can occur later in life and make sex painful when it wasn’t before.

  3. Cervicitis 

  Cervicitis is an inflammation of the cervix that can occur for various reasons including STIs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HPV, and trichomoniasis, or a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. All these health issues can make the cervix inflamed and extremely sensitive. 

  Other causes include an allergy to latex or spermicide. When the tissue is extremely sensitive, intercourse can be painful.

  4. Endometriosis 

  Endometriosis is characterized by deep pain that occurs during sex. Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. One of the most common symptoms is pain, especially during periods and sex provoked by bleeding and swelling of the endometrial growths.

  5. Vaginal dryness 

  Insufficient lubrication can make sex uncomfortable and provoke irritation. Vaginal dryness can result from multiple things such as hormonal fluctuations that occur during menopause, breastfeeding, or changing your birth control method.

  However, certain chronic health disorders that affect mucous membranes and dermatological issues in the vagina can provoke dryness as well. If you’re having trouble lubricating, talk with your gynecologist about what might be causing it.

  6. Pelvic inflammatory disease 

  Pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection of reproductive organs that typically occurs when a sexually transmitted infection goes untreated and spreads. Sometimes, it can provoke pain. Depending on the cause of pelvic inflammatory disease, it can also be asymptomatic. If left untreated for a long time, it can eventually lead to infertility.

  7. Ruptured cyst 

  Fluid-filled cysts on the ovaries often develop during ovulation, but they usually go unnoticed and resolve on their own. Intercourse can sometimes provoke these cysts to rupture causing sudden and sharp pain.

  A severe pain that occurs during deep penetration can indicate a ruptured cyst. That should be evaluated before having sex again, but it will usually heal on its own.

  If you have pain along with bloating, nausea, and bleeding that isn't your period, visit your healthcare provider as soon as possible. It could be due to a blood-filled cyst that burst, which can trigger bleeding both internally and externally.