Dyspareunia (Pain Having Sex)

Dyspareunia is a term used for pain felt in the pelvis during or after sexual intercourse. Nobody really knows exactly how common it is, as many women never seek medical help. However, questionnaires asking women if they have symptoms suggest that somewhere between 1 and 4 out of 10 women experience it. Most commonly, this is early in their sexual lives and around the menopause.

There are many causes of dyspareunia, most of which are not serious or damaging in nature, but all can be detrimental to your sex life and ultimately may lead to relationship difficulties. It can be a vicious cycle, with pain leading to nervousness about sex (intercourse), and nervousness leading to dryness and further pain.

It's also not uncommon for dyspareunia to remain after the cause has been treated, particularly if things have been left untreated for a while. For this reason, it is important to seek help early, so that treatable causes can be discovered and managed. This leaflet discusses the types and possible causes of dyspareunia.

Dyspareunia (pain felt in the pelvis during or after having sex (intercourse)) may be thought of as either superficial dyspareunia or deep dyspareunia. They have different causes and treatments, and although it's possible to experience both at the same time, most women find that their dyspareunia is predominantly one or the other type.

This is pain felt in the vulva, at the vaginal entrance (introitus) and the lower part of the vagina. It typically begins with penetration or very early on after intercourse has begun, and is sore and instant. It is usually quickly relieved by stopping penetration, although you may be sore to the touch afterwards for a little while. The causes of superficial dyspareunia are usually local problems of the vaginal and perineal skin (the perineum is the area of skin between the vaginal opening and the back passage).

This is the term for pain felt deeper in the pelvis during or after intercourse. It can also spread to involve the fronts of the thighs. It may be sharp or dull, may stop when penetration stops or can continue for minutes or even hours. The causes of this type of pain usually lie rather deeper in the pelvis.