Penetration pain or dyspareunia, what is it?
When a couple begins to share affectionate and intimate words, kisses or caresses, after them this usually translates into pleasant relationships. Which can be inconvenient for some women since this is a real physical torment for them, the cause: dyspareunia .
The main reason for this physical discomfort, as we have mentioned, is usually dyspareunia, a disorder that causes women who suffer from it not to want to have sexual relations, since for them it is annoying and even painful at times.
What is dyspareunia?
Dyspareunia is a disorder that affects women and is characterized by vaginal burning, pain or itching after and during penetration, either as part of sexual practice or as part of intimate hygiene when inserting a menstrual cup or tampon .
The main symptoms of dyspareunia are, as we have mentioned, pain, burning and itching during and after penetration. These pains or itching can be punctual or last for hours after penetration, it depends on each person.
The pain can be superficial or deep, depending on whether it occurs in the area around the vaginal area or is felt within the pelvis. In addition, the pain may be colicky, burning, or sharp. These pains cause the pelvic muscles to tense, which further increases the pain .
Do you know the causes of dyspareunia?
The causes of dyspareunia depend on many factors, since it is a multifactorial disorder. We can establish three large blocks of factors, on the one hand the physical ones, which are those that respond directly to causes that emanate from our body and physical health; the psychological and emotional and, finally, the social.
physical factors
Within the physical factors we can find many causes, but the following are some of the most prominent and frequent:
● Discordance in the genitalia . This is when the penis and vagina are not compatible when it comes to penetration. It can be due to different reasons such as the penis being longer than the capacity of the vagina at that time.
● Absence of vaginal lubrication . This means that any object that is going to be inserted into it (be it a finger, a toy or the penis) will cause pain and discomfort.
● Affectations in the pelvic floor . This occurs when the pelvic floor is damaged or contracted, so it causes pain when something is inserted into the vagina.
● Surgery in the pelvic area . Cesarean sections, childbirth or abdominal surgeries can cause dyspareunia if they are still in the process of recovering or it was bad.
● Infections, inflammations or disorders in the vulva or vagina . These can be caused by urinary infections.
● Vaginismus . This is a sexual disorder characterized by involuntary spasms that close the vaginal canal, which makes it very difficult to insert any object into it.
● Some invasive medical treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy can also cause dyspareunia.
psychological and emotional factors
There are also psychological and even emotional causes and factors that result in dyspareunia, among them we can highlight:
● When the woman is going through moments of stress, anxiety, depression or emotional discomfort .
● Having suffered some traumatic experience .
● Do not want to perform any sexual practice that involves penetration.
Social factors
To our regret , dyspareunia can also be caused by social factors, perhaps some of the main causes may sound familiar to you:
● Some behaviors such as fat- phobia, racism or homophobia that end up generating stress and daily discomfort.
● Sex education based on shame .
● When the affective bond with the couple is in a bad moment due to disagreements, arguments, abuse and even cases of violence .
● When a sexual practice is performed in a place that generates discomfort or discomfort.
Treatments that can help you
When a woman begins to have pain when she performs any act of penetration in the vagina and notices that it is not something specific, she should go to the gynecologist as soon as possible.
Dyspareunia is a multifactorial disorder , as we have already pointed out, so it is important to consider each bothersome aspect that may arise. In fact, if there is a family history of dyspareunia in the family, it is vital that the woman perform frequent analyzes and go to pelvic floor specialists, for mere prevention reasons.
On the other hand, if it is an emotional, psychological or social aspect, it is usually best to go to a psychologist. Today there are many doctors who specialize in traumas that cause dyspareunia. There is no need to feel ashamed to take care of our mental health in order to have a pleasant and complete sexual life.
In addition, there are multiple options that can be used as a complement in sexual relations and that can be great allies when it comes to not feeling pain:
● Water -based lubricants are good allies when it comes to improving the lubrication of the sexual areas.
● Try to focus sexual practices on more acts that do not only involve vaginal penetration .
● Discover what you like the most through self – exploration .
● Have good communication with your sexual partner , telling him what you like and what you don’t like when having sex.
● Don’t force things when the pain is significant and you don’t feel like it.
Therefore, the most important thing when you have vaginal pain or discomfort is to go to a specialist so that he or she can assess the situation and establish which is the best treatment in each case.
In addition, communication with your partner is essential, since if you continue to have painful sexual practices you could end up damaging your relationship. Sex has to be pleasant and rewarding for both parties and never painful or annoying for one of them.
If you have come this far, we hope that this information has been useful to you and that you can put yourself in the hands of a professional. Remember that there are sexual products that can help you. Check our website to see which ones can help you or ask us!
