Dyspareunia Can Affect up to 28% Of Women in Their Lifetime1

What Is Dyspareunia

Dyspareunia is persistent pain that occurs prior to, during or following sex. Giving your condition this name indicates that your doctor has not identified a specific cause such as vaginismus, vulvodynia or vestibulodynia). Giving your condition this name indicates that your doctor has not identified a specific cause. There are many potential causes for pain during sex. It is important to have an assessment by a gynecologist if you have dyspareunia to rule out sinister causes.

What Causes Dyspareunia

There are many potential causes for dyspareunia which can make it challenging to manage. Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common cause, so maintaining an optimal resting-length of your pelvic floor can be helpful. Another common cause is lack of lubrication, which can be due to hormonal imbalance, contraceptives or menopause. When there is insufficient lubrication, the vaginal tissues can become irritated from the friction during penetration. Other causes include but are not limited to pelvic organ prolapse, infections, STD’s and conditions such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and pelvic congestion syndrome.

What Are the Symptoms of Dyspareunia?

Dyspareunia can manifest in a number of different ways and you could experience one or more of the following symptoms:

  • Vulvar pain on arousal
  • Pain at the vaginal entrance on penetration
  • Deep pain during penetration/thrusting
  • Burning, stinging or aching pain
  • Throbbing pain that can last long after intercourse
Dyspareunia

If you experience dyspareunia, it is important to have a full gynecological checkup to look for the root cause.

Products for Management of Dyspareunia

There are many products that can be used in the management Dyspareunia. We have include some of those products below. You should speak with your pelvic floor physiotherapist or gynecologist before using these products. Reviews of these products will be covered on our YouTube channel. If there is a specific product that you would like to see reviewed, just get in touch and we will review. Note that these products have affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase them, we will make a small commission.

Vaginal Wand

Using a vaginal wand can help to release tight spots in the pelvic floor.

Ohnut

The Ohnuts can be placed on the shaft of the penis to reduce the depth of penetration.

Lubrication

Lubrication can help with slide and glide during intercourse reducing friction.

Treatment Options for Dyspareunia

Like most symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, the treatment for dyspareunia falls into one of two categories; conservative (non-surgical) and invasive (surgical). Surgical options are generally only offered when the identified cause of the dyspareunia requires a surgical intervention (for example pelvic organ prolapse repair or surgery to remove scarring from endometriosis). For more information on the treatments offered, click on the relevant button below. If you did not find what you were looking for, you can search this site using the search bar at the bottom of the page.

Conservative Treatments for Sexual Dysfunction
Invasive Treatments for Sexual Dysfunction

Explore the Other Types of Sexual Dysfunction

Having reviewed this information on dyspareunia, you may also be interested in exploring vaginismus. You can do that from here:

Vaginismus
General Information on Sexual Dysfunction

References

  1. Tayyeb M, Gupta V. Dyspareunia. [Updated 2021 Jun 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562159/