Scary Symptoms in Intimate Areas: 7 Vaginal Conditions

Not only does the odd twinge or sudden onslaught of vaginal pain hurt; it can cause you to be concerned for your overall wellbeing. Your vagina is your most intimate space, so it’s really scary when something might be going awry. Therefore, it’s good to know the main conditions that affect vaginal wellness, so that you know what symptoms to look out for. If any of the following sounds familiar, you should talk to your doctor.

 

1. Vagititus: According to sexual health and wellness writer Natasha Burton, author of The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags, vagititus ‘is a catchall medical term to describe vaginal pain, burning and itching that coincides with an infection or inflammation happening between your legs. The discomfort can be caused by an influx of bacteria, irritation from creams, or a sexual partner.’

 

2. Dyspareunia: ‘One-fifth of women experience this condition of painful sexual intercourse, which can happen before, during, or even after sex,’ Burton explains. ‘Dyspareunia is most common in menopausal women due to their reduced oestrogen levels, which lead to thinner vaginal walls, lower levels of lubrication and reduced sexual sensation.’ Sara Gottfried, MD, OB/GYN, author of The Hormone Cure, adds, ‘Up to 25% of the Pill users have vaginal dryness and pain with sex, which totally defeats the purpose of going on these puppies. Other causes include infections of the vagina, cervix, fallopian tubes or lower urinary tract, scarring from childbirth, a prolapsed womb, endometriosis, radiotherapy, allergies, and stress.’

 

3. Vaginismus: Burton notes that, similar to dyspareunia, vaginismus ‘is more specific to pain that happens during penetration. Basically, the pubococcygeus muscle reflexes in a way that makes the vagina tense suddenly, making it nearly impossible to have sex or even insert a tampon without your vagina hurting really, really badly. Causes can include stress, fear, partner issues, trauma, childbirth, menopause, and certain medications.’

 

4. Vulvodynia: Vulvodynia ‘is characterised by burning, stinging or sharp pangs at the vaginal entrance, labia and vulva,’ says Burton. ‘The condition can flare up once in a while or happen constantly, but either way, this condition can last for years.’ Gottfried points out, ‘Women of any age can contract vulvodynia, and scientists are still trying to determine exact causes. Causes may include nerve injuries, trauma, genetic factors, inflammation, hypersensitivity to yeast infections, allergies, history of sexual abuse or frequent antibiotic use.’

 

5. Dysmenorrhea: Burton notes, ‘This intense pain before and/or during your period can include sharp pain, shooting pain or burning sensations. (Think of this condition as, like, the worst cramps ever.) Typically, this pain will ebb as your period slows down but if the pain is really intense, it could be a symptom of endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical stenosis (narrowing of the opening to the uterus), a tumour, or even toxic shock syndrome.’

 

6. Menorrhagia: ‘This condition sometimes comes along with dysmenorrhea and is characterised by a super heavy—or super long—period, which could be caused by abnormal blood clotting or disruption in how your hormones regulate your cycle,’ Burton details. Gottfriend advises, ‘Any period lasting longer than seven days should be discussed with your friendly neighbourhood gynaecologist.’ While you’re waiting for your appointment, Gottfriend recommends noshing on kale (for the iron).

 

7. Adenomyosis: Burton outlines, ‘The pelvic pain you’d feel from this condition occurs when the cells that typically line your uterus grow into the muscular tissue of the wall of your uterus. Typically, there are no other symptoms except your cramps getting worse with every period you have (the condition can also cause both dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia)…The cause of this condition is still unknown and while there are treatments available to ease the discomfort, sometimes a full hysterectomy is the only cure.’

Categories: burton, burton notes, condition, Dyspareunia, nbsp, Pain, vaginal, vaginal pain, vaginismus, Vagititus

Dyspareunia: Why Do You Find Sex Really Painful?

Sex isn’t always smooth-sailing, but when it’s downright painful your wellbeing may be at risk of dyspareunia. This is the clinical term for painful sex, which can cause a burning, sharp, searing or cramping pain in your abdomen, pelvic region or vagina. The pain can also affect you externally, but why does dyspareunia have such an impact on your wellness?

 

The exact number of women whose sexual health is affected by dyspareunia is unknown, but, back in 1986, Masters, Johnson, and Kolodny discovered that roughly 15% of adult women have painful intercourse on at least a few occasions in a given year, but 1-2% suffer more often than that. Then, in 1990, Spector and Carey reviewed the literature on dyspareunia and reported incidence ranging between 8% and 23% percent across studies. The cause of each case may be due to any number of given factors, or the precise cause may not be identifiable at all. As with most cases of sexual dysfunction, the causes of dyspareunia can be classified as either organic (physical or medical factors such as illness, injury or drug effects) or psychosocial (including psychological, interpersonal, environmental and cultural factors).

 

As a woman, your dyspareunia may be caused by dozens of underlying physical conditions – basically anything that leads to poor vaginal lubrication. Commonly, drugs that have a drying effect – such as antihistamines, certain tranquilizers, marijuana – and disorders such as diabetes, vaginal infections, and oestrogen deficiencies can cause discomfort during intercourse. Still, the buck doesn’t stop there. Other causes of dyspareunia include:

 

• Blisters, rashes and inflammation around your vaginal opening or vulva


• Clitoral irritation or infection


• Disorders of the vaginal opening, such as scarring from an episiotomy, intact hymen or remnants of the hymen that are stretched during intercourse, or infection of the Bartholin’s glands


• Disorders of the urethra or anus


• Disorders of the vagina, such as surgical scarring, thinning of vaginal walls (be it due to ageing or oestrogen deficiency), and irritation due to chemicals found in contraceptive materials or douches


• Pelvic disorders such as infection, tumours, abnormalities of the cervix or uterus, and torn ligaments around your uterus

 

There are also psychosocial causes of dyspareunia. These may be as frequent and varied as organic ones, but it’s harder to see the clear link between such factors and the condition itself. According to many authorities, developmental factors – such as a troubled parent-child relationship, a negative family attitude towards sex, a traumatic childhood, a traumatic adolescent sexual experience and a gender identity conflict – may all predispose you towards developing a sexual dysfunction. When it comes to dyspareunia, if you’ve been brought up to believe that sex is wrong or will cause you pain, you’re more likely to feel pain with intercourse as an adult. Similarly, a one-off painful sexual experience may make you expect painful intercourse in the future.

 

Then you have personal factors at play in dyspareunia, such as anxiety or fears or pregnancy, intimacy and rejection. These feelings, and others, may block your brains’ pathways of sexual response, and instead cause you to feel pain. Dyspareunia can also result as a consequence of relationship problems or interpersonal conflicts, including power struggles, hostility towards your partner, preference for another partner, distrust, poor communication and lack of attraction to your partner. Other personal factors involved in painful sex include feelings of guilt, depression and poor self-esteem. That said, it is not always clear which came first, the feelings or the dysfunction. If you suffer from dyspareunia, this can cause you to feel depressed or unconfident, and so identifying a problematic feeling does not always mean it caused the dysfunction.

Categories: Causes, Dyspareunia, feel pain, Pain During Sex, painful, painful intercourse, painful sex, personal factors, sexual dysfunction, sexual experience, vaginal opening

Painful Sex: Are You Sweeping Dyspareunia Under the Rug?

Pain during sex or dyspareunia is estimated to affect the wellbeing of one in five women at some point in their lives, and it can take its toll on your relationship wellness. More often than not, this sexual health issue goes undiscussed and swept under the rug, but there are things you can do to enjoy a healthy sex life again.

Dyspareunia is not a disease, but rather a symptom of a core physical or psychological condition. Age, childbirth or disuse may have caused your vaginal muscles to tighten, or if you’re not using enough lubrication during sex this may cause painful friction. It may be that the way you’re positioned is causing you pain, as your partner’s penis is pushing against certain nerves, or there may have been shift in your muscular or bone formation, which causes pain on contact. Stress or psychological factors could also be at play in your dyspareunia.

Symptoms of dyspareunia can include pain at entry, pain with any penetration (including a tampon), sudden pain after intercourse, deep pain during thrusting, burning pain and aching pain. The goal of treatment for this condition is to reduce these symptoms, which methods such as vaginal dilators, hormone therapy, topical creams or gels (to increase lubrication), Viagra, a vibrator or a suction/pump (to increase your blood flow), stretching exercises, physical therapy (to strengthen supporting muscles and alleviate muscle pressure) and exploring psychological factors that may be contributing.

If you have pain during sex, the first thing you need to do is talk to your partner. Otherwise, this can lead to problems outside of the bedroom, and it’s important for both of you to communicate; you need know that you’re not alone in this, and your partner needs to know that he’s not doing anything wrong. Next, you need to see a doctor in order to identify the source and location of the pain, so that you can get the right treatment. On the rare occasion your doctor isn’t able to help, there are medical practitioners who specialise in female sexual dysfunction. The important thing to remember is to talk about your problem, and never give up.

Painful Sex: Are You Sweeping Dyspareunia Under the Rug?

Categories: Causes, Dyspareunia, Pain, partner, physical, psychological, psychological factors, Symptoms

Does Love Hurt? Find out About Dyspareunia

Dyspareunia is the name given to pain caused during sexual intercourse. It is one of the most common sexual health problems, but many do not understand what causes it. It can deeply affect wellbeing, as, unsurprisingly, it causes people to avoid sexual intercourse. This can affect their long-term wellness, as well as that of their sexual partner.

The most common cause of dyspareunia is lack of sexual arousal. Unlike men, who can be ready for intercourse fairly quickly, women’s bodies are designed to take longer to be ready. When a woman becomes aroused, her vagina prepares for intercourse by lengthening and widening, and it also becomes lubricated with natural bodily fluids, ready for penetration. Attempting penetration before the vagina has reached this state can be a very painful experience.

If, despite reaching full sexual arousal, sex is still painful, it is a good idea to talk to your GP in order to ensure that there are no other underlying health conditions that could be causing the pain during intercourse.

Childbirth, for example, can lead to painful sex, at least for a while afterwards, as the area heals. Women who have had an episiotomy in particular may find that sex continues to be painful for some time after childbirth.

Menopause can also cause painful intercourse, as plummeting oestrogen levels cause the vaginal walls to thin and the body to produce less natural lubrication. There are creams and hormone treatments that can help reduce this unfortunate side effect.

Urinary tract infections such as cystitis or warts, thrush and vaginitis can also cause soreness during intercourse. They are all easily treated and, once correctly identified and treated, should disappear, leaving sex a pain-free experience once more.

Finally, some people can develop sensitivities to condoms. If you feel that this may be the case for you it is worth experimenting with different brands in order to find one that suits you better.

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Does Love Hurt? Find out About Dyspareunia

Categories: Dyspareunia, hurt, love