Gist

Pain during S3@.x:’ is one of the most common things patients ask about, it's caused by something temporary

You’ve always enjoyed S3@.x:’ but for the last couple of times, it has seemed painful, it could be an ache, rash or a jab feeling. It can be difficult to understand why it has started.

“Pain during S3@.x:’ is one of the most common things patients ask about, but most of the time, it’s caused by something temporary that can be treated,” says Alyssa Dweck, MD, an OB/GYN in Westchester, New York and coauthor of V Is for V@.g!na. In fact, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that 75% of women experience painful S3@.x:’ at some point in their lives. Reports Esther Crain at Health.

Please fill our annual S3@.x:’ survey here, so we can give you statistical information like this.

Back to why we’re here. According to these experts, here are some of the reasons why you’re having that problem, and also solutions to these problems.

1. The outer part of your V@.g!na is very irritated.

This is the burning sensation that’s very uncomfortable. This irritation that is keeping you from enjoy S3@.x:’ is likely as a result of a bad reaction to a personal care product that you’re using that has come in contact with your vulva. “Dyes, perfumes, and other additives in these products can trigger vaginitis, or inflammation of the skin around the V@.g!na,” says Dr. Dweck. One cure for it is to leave the area alone for 24 to 48 hours, then examine closely the care products that you recently adopted, change from items with chemical additives to all-natural ones, Dr. Dweck advised.

2. Itching or stings in the Pu.$$y and it discharges too.

Discharge can be a tip-off that an infection or bacterial vaginiosis, which can be a gray colored watery discharge with a fishy odour or STDs such as gonorrhea or chlamydia that often has zero signs, and can run the risk of giving you pelvic pain that is causing the pain. The tricky part: figuring out which infection is putting the brakes on your S3@.x:’ life. If the discharge is white, thick, and super itchy, it’s probably a yeast infection, an overgrowth of the yeast that normally colonize the V@.g!na, says Dr. Dweck. Check in with your doctor, advises Dr. Dweck. Though an over-the-counter antifungal cream can cure a yeast infection, it’s best to rule out something more serious right away. Your doc will prescribe an antibiotic for whatever ails you.

3. The V@.g!na is tightly closed

This can be caused by Vaginismus, if penetration has gone from painful to downright impossible because your V@.g!na is shut tight, it may signal a little-known condition called vaginismus, says Raquel Dardik, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Characterized by painful, involuntary contraction of the V@.g!nal muscles, the cause is a mystery, though it may be the result of past trauma, like S3@.x:’ual abuse. “It’s like your V@.g!na has put up a ‘do not enter’ sign,” adds Dweck. Ask your doctor specifically about vaginismus—otherwise, she might just blow it off as anxiety or stress. That would be a shame, because vaginismus is real, and it’s definitely treatable. “We teach women exercises that help them relax the pelvic floor muscles, which can help a great deal,” says Dr. Dardik.

4. It’s really dry down there.

V@.g!nal dryness is one of the most common reasons why women don’t enjoy S3@.x:’, it can be caused by stress, drugs or hormones. Some drugs like antihistamines can dry out the mucus membranes. “It can also be the result of the normal drop in estrogen levels after childbirth, during bre@.$tfeeding, or as you approach perimenopause and menopause,” Dr. Dweck says. To deal with this, get this lubricated by using a silicone-based motion lotion to supplement the natural lubrication until stress goes down or estrogen goes back up.

If it’s perimenopause- or menopause-related, the estrogen dip may be permanent. But dryness doesn’t have to be, so ask your doctor about options, like using a prescription V@.g!nal estrogen cream.