Painful Sex

What Causes Painful Sex?

There are a number of reasons that it could be painful to engage in sexual intercourse. Postmenopausal women may experience thinning and dryness of the vaginal tissue. Conditions like Interstitial Cystitis, Vulvovaginitis, Vulvodynia, or Urethritis may lead to Vaginismus or vaginal muscle spasm. This can make intercourse uncomfortable and this can progress over time as a woman guards against the pain. Insufficient lubrication, whether due to breast cancer or menopause, or abnormal narrowing of the vaginal cavity, which sometimes occurs with scarring after surgery, could also be causes of discomfort or pain during penetrative intercourse.

Can our Providers Help to Make Sex Pleasurable Again?

Yes, the doctors and nurse practitioners at Southeast Urogyn can help identify and address the conditions causing your pain during intercourse. They will provide a pelvic exam to check for narrowing, strictures or other conditions that may be causing the pain and ask you questions about your overall well-being, sexual habits, and about what is going on in other parts of your life. Your doctor may prescribe medications, offer self-therapies or referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist, or perform certain procedures to treat the conditions that are affecting you and causing the negative impact on you sexual well-being.

What Treatments Are Available for Painful Sex?

The providers at Southeast Urogyn will make suggestions to address the specific needs and concerns of each individual patient. Some women may benefit from applying lubricants before intercourse. Other women may benefit from estrogen therapy in the forms of pessaries or a ring inserted into the vagina to replace the estrogen lost during menopause. Other women may benefit from CO2 laser treatments to the vagina with equipment like the Mona Lisa Touch or Core2Intma Laser, which stimulates collagen production in the vagina and help to return it to a more youthful and moist state. In severe circumstances, more invasive procedures may be necessary to repair and restore the vagina or remove scarring.

If you are experiencing painful sex, you should make an appointment for a consultation and exam with the practitioners at Southeast Urogyn. They can identify the conditions that may be responsible for making sex uncomfortable and provide treatments to help you enjoy sexual intimacy again.