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. An outbreak of genital herpes, UTIs, yeast infections, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are all examples of vaginal infections that can make sex painful and uncomfortable, Minkin says.


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Have you lost interest in having sex because your vagina burns? You're not alone. The condition, known as vulvodynia or vestibulodynia, affects about 16 percent of women, and some researchers suspect that number may be even higher.
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If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. A burning sensation around the vaginal area is a relatively common complaint. There are many different causes of vaginal burning, including irritants, sexually transmitted diseases, and menopause. Each cause has its own symptoms and forms of treatment. In this article, we examine nine possible causes of a burning sensation in the vagina, along with other symptoms associated with each one. We also look at the available treatment options and potential complications. Certain things can irritate the skin of the vagina when they come into direct contact with it.
Back to Sexual health. If you get pain during or after sex, your body may be trying to tell you something is wrong, so don't ignore it. Find a sexual health clinic near you. You may find talking about sex embarrassing, but remember that doctors are used to dealing with problems like this. They'll try to find the cause of the problem and be able to tell you whether you need any treatment.