Penetrative sex can be uncomfortable, but sometimes it really hurts The medical term for this is dyspareunia , which refers to recurring or persistent pain before, during, or after sex, according to the Mayo Clinic. The pain might only occur upon entry, penetration with anything like a tampon , deep thrusting, or a combination of those — and the level of pain can range from mild to severe. Pain is a complex and multifaceted issue, so there isn't always one single explanation or treatment. And it can be very frustrating when something that's supposed to be pleasurable causes pain and discomfort instead. So we spoke to two experts to find out what can cause painful sex and and which treatments are out there: Dr. Mary Jane Minkin , clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine; and Dr. Shannon Chavez , a licensed clinical psychologist and certified sex therapist in Los Angeles. FYI, for the purposes of this article we are focusing on penetrative vaginal sex — so that means sex involving a penis or finger or dildo or any other toy going into the vagina.


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Vaginismus is a condition in which involuntary muscle spasm prevents vaginal penetration. The underlying cause is generally a fear that penetration will hurt. Treatment may include behavior therapy such as graduated exposure therapy and gradual vaginal dilatation. Severity and pain during vaginal penetration varies. Vaginismus occurs when penetrative sex or other vaginal penetration cannot be experienced without pain. It is commonly discovered among teenage girls and women in their early twenties, as this is when many girls and young women first attempt to use tampons , have penetrative sex, or undergo a Pap smear. Awareness of vaginismus may not happen until vaginal penetration is attempted. Reasons for the condition may be unknown.
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JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. When the vagina tears it bleeds and then stays sore for days. Fearful and avoids engaging altogether because the vaginal opening feels so tight, even tampon removal hurts. Prior attempts have not been pleasurable because the pelvic muscles go into spasm due to the anticipation of pain.
Vaginismus is a mind-body response to the fear of vaginal penetration - the vaginal muscles tighten involuntarily, making penetration impossible or very painful. We find out what it's like to live with the condition and how best to treat vaginismus and hypertonic overactive pelvic floor muscles. Rather than being a precise diagnosis, vaginismus is now more often referred to as a clinical syndrome that includes converging issues - pain, anxiety , hypertonic pelvic floor muscles and problems achieving penetration. For some women with vaginismus, the debilitating symptoms have been ever-present - from puberty and attempted use of tampons to painful first experiences of sex. Known as primary vaginismus, this is the condition that is often the focus of medical and media articles. Vaginismus can, however, also occur after vaginal function has been normal for many years secondary vaginismus. It can be total or partial - the latter refers to some penetration being possible, but often with accompanying pain. Vaginismus can also occur intermittently - in certain contexts and circumstances only. Sam Evans had secondary vaginismus for many years and still has episodes from time to time. She says the condition was triggered initially by using an intimate lubricant containing additives that contributed to recurrent bouts of bacterial vaginosis , thrush and urinary tract infections.