Scientific Reasons behind Painful sex.

There is a lot of gender segregation in Africa, especially In Nigeria, there are so many things that the male gender would confidently speak about in public and the female gender would not dare speak about else she would be termed irresponsible, one of the topics that a female from Nigeria particularly Africa dares not to confidently speak about in public is the issue of sex, so many women do not enjoy sex but for the sake of being tagged ‘’bad’’, they prefer not to discuss their sexual affairs with anyone.

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Painful sex is really common amongst women, according to a report from the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, up to 75% of women often have experienced painful sex during their lifetime. 1. Experienced pain could either be during sex or after sex, the pain could also be felt in the vagina or deep into the pelvis region.

Sexual pain could be caused by;
• An infection: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) like gonorrhea, and chlamydia could be a strong reason behind painful sex.

• Some women experience vaginismus, this is a condition where muscles found the vagina shuts in a tight manner, therefore making the sex really painful.

• Menopause in women comes with changes in hormonal levels, which could make the vagina extremely dry and could also lead to painful sexual experiences women.

• Some condoms, soaps, and shampoo contains spermicides, and this could lead to genital irritation which results in painful sex.

• Prior trauma/pain creates spam of vaginal muscles, which could create a more difficult/complex sexual experience.

• Ectopic pregnancy.

• Skin disorder that affects the genitalia.

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When the pain occurs in the pelvic, however, it could be a result of certain complicated cases like;

• Growing fibroid around the vagina or cervix region.
• Serious constipation.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Endometriosis 2
Painful sex usually has a lot of negative emotions and psychological effects, patients could also experience physical pain which would result in the absence of intimacy between lovers.

Superficial dyspareunia/Entry pain is felt at the entrance of the vagina, at the point of first penetration. This pain is often caused by the absence of lubrication, the presence of infection, or injury. The word dyspareunia was drawn from a Greek word and it simply means difficulty in mating or badly mating, the experience of pain during sex did not just start today, it dates back to ancient Egyptian scrolls. 3
Collision dyspareunia: This pain occurs when there is deep penetration, the case could cause certain complications during certain sex positions which calls for deeper penetrations.

• If you experience pain at the beginning of the journey of your sexual intercourse, it is called primary pain.
• If you have initially enjoyed pain-free sex before but certainly begin to experience painful sex, it is secondary pain.
• Feeling complete pain is the experience of pain at every point of sexual intercourse.
• Situational sexual pain only happens at some points or during a certain sex style.

Even if painful sex is more common within the female gender, it also occurs in the male gender as well. Painful sex in men is often caused by some penile disorders like;
A damaged foreskin, a damaged foreskin in the male gender is caused by rubbing or tearing which will cause pain.
STIs like a yeast infections and gonorrhea can cause painful sex.
A painful erection can of course translate to a painful experience of sex.

The treatment of painful intercourse in women depends greatly on the cause of the pain.

Entrance pain is often noticed amongst women who have gone past the age of menopause and do not take hormonal replacement medication, this case is treated through the application of estrogen vaginal cream directly on the vaginal opening. Prescribed lubricants and moisturizers can also help in a situation like this.
For pain caused by inadequate lubrication, treatment would be a water-soluble lubricant, if arousal fails to take place as a result of the lubrication used, intense foreplay may have to be applied.

In the case of a urethral syndrome, a woman would experience a frequent urge to urinate, this is often caused by chronic inflammation of the urethra. In order to control this, doctors make use of a special instrument to dilate the urethra, low-dose antibiotics could also be prescribed.
If both partners experience painful symptoms during sex, they need to get tested for STI infection as soon as possible.
Through surgery, removing pelvic adhesions (i.e), tissues that have become stuck together is one of the ways to stop painful sex occurring as a result of deep penetration. 4.
Naturally, there are things that could be done in order to manage painful sex;
Try out sexual positions that do not cause pain, take time to rest before any sexual activity, use water or silicone-based lubricant to help ease vaginal dryness, and apply ice packs to the vulva after sexual intercourse.

Painful sex is not a condition that should be hidden, speak to a health expert as soon as you can, when you visit an expert, you will have to answer questions like;
Where the pain is occurring.
How often the pain is felt, previous mediations consumed, previous surgeries or vagina; treatments. 5

The hospital should be visited when; when there is a feeling of more intense pain than previously experienced ones.
When the feeling of pain is followed by bleeding, it is time to visit a specialist as soon as possible.

When you feel nauseous, you feel rectal pain, or you feel like vomiting after sexual intercourse, then you need to visit the hospital as soon as possible.
A new type of discharge should also mean a visit to the hospital. 3

Conclusion.

Painful sex is common amongst a lot of women who are afraid of discussing it, it is nothing to feel bad about, discuss it with your partner. We have to also understand that, painful sex is not only attributed to the female figure, men also experience painful sex and it is wise for them to speak to an expert as soon as it happens.

For more information.

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a8639175/painful-sex-study/

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/sexual-health/why-does-sex-hurt/#:~:text=Painful%20sex%20in%20women&text=Pain%20in%20the%20vagina%20could,sexual%20arousal%20at%20any%20age

https://www.emedicinehealth.com/pain_during_intercourse/article_em.htm

https://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/pain-during-intercourse-treatment

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12325-dyspareunia-painful-intercourse

Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my podcast channel Here and I also have a youtube channel where you can listen and watch any of any episode for free, do not forget to subscribe and share with friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from members of the community and do well to keep them coming.