top of page

Why is penetrative sex painful for me?

Writer's picture: Kayla BenjaminKayla Benjamin
Sep 20, 20201 min read

Updated: Jul 29, 2023

Dyspareunia, or pain during penetrative intercourse, is more common than you might think and will likely have an existing solution. There are many possible explanations for what you are experiencing. For some individuals, dyspareunia can be caused by anxiety toward sex, a lack of enjoyment during sex, or other aspects of your relationship with the person(s) you are having intercourse with. For others, it can be explained by various conditions that are worth asking your doctor about. These include:

Find out here on how to access gynecological care near you.


References


Alimi Y, Iwanaga J, Oskouian RJ, Loukas M, Tubbs RS. The clinical anatomy of dyspareunia: A review. Clinical Anatomy. 2018 Oct;31(7):1013-7.


Caruso S, Monaco C. Dyspareunia in Women: Updates in Mechanisms and Current/Novel Therapies. Current Sexual Health Reports. 2019 Mar 15;11(1):9-20.


Mitchell KR, Geary R, Graham CA, et al. OBGYN. Obstetrics and Gynecologyhttps://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.14518 (2017, accessed August 18, 2020).


Molin B, Sand A, Berger AK, Georgsson S. Raising awareness about chronic pain and dyspareunia among women–a Swedish survey 8 months after childbirth. Scandinavian Journal of Pain. 2020 May 8;1(ahead-of-print).



Thank you so much for taking the time to read our article! We hope you appreciated the effort that went into bringing it to you today. As a small not-for-profit, we are heavily reliant on generous donations to helps us stay afloat. Please consider donating to help ensure we can regularly provide health information for young people across Canada. Every donation makes an impact!



122 views0 comments

Comments

Commenting has been turned off.

missINFORMED is a national non-profit designed to provide health education & to promote informed advocacy through evidence-based teachings and by centring the lived experiences of women and gender diverse folks. This information is not designed to replace a physician's independent judgment about the appropriateness or risks of a procedure for a given patient. Always consult your doctor or health care professional about your medical conditions. missINFORMED does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use of this website is purely for informational purposes. 
 

missINFORMED primarily operates on the traditional land belonging to the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Attiwonderonk, Mississauga Peoples, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. However, we hope to support Nations across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that our actions contribute to the land we live on, and as such, we are tasked to be caretakers of this land and the people that inhabit it. For the individuals of immigrant and settler Canadian descent present on our team, we acknowledge that our positions on health, and our accessibility to healthcare, have been largely shaped by our own lived experiences, which encompass many privileges. We are committed to evaluate & decolonize our practices continually and do our best to incorporate the lived experiences of the land defenders and protectors within our work. We plan to use our platform to be inclusive of all women and gender diverse folks who call the geographical confines of what is currently known as Canada, home. We hope to build our organization to represent and support those with multiple identities, including but not limited to queer, trans, two-spirit, and non-binary folk, as well as those who are Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Colour. As an organization, we will try our utmost best to ensure that only individuals with lived experiences speak on behalf of their communities while still recognizing that communities of colour and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community are not a monolith. While each member of missINFORMED brings their own experiences, education, and expertise, we are always motivated to keep learning and to keep expanding our repertoire and knowledge capacity.

Land acknowledgements like this one are a great start to decolonizing the current colonial systems by which we operate, but they are not the only thing we can do. For example, actively supporting the sovereignty of Indigenous Nations such as supporting policies and movements that give the land back to Indigenous Nations, policies that do not condemn Indigenous communities or make it more difficult for them to receive the support that they deserve, paying Indigenous people when their knowledge and emotional labour are requested, and so much more. You can learn more about the Nations you share this land with here. 

missINFORMED-webicon.png
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
bottom of page