Burning pain during sex - The causes

  • By Dr. T Deepa Porkodi

Lack of lubrication is one of the leading causes of burning pain during sex. Relaxing completely, and giving in to the pleasures of foreplay are the simplest ways out.

Sex can be a painful experience, if you suffer from a burning in the vagina every time you indulge in sex! Pain and burning during sex is one of the most common problems women face. It can have a lot of negative emotional effects too. Here, we take a look at some of the most common causes for pain and burning during sex.

  1. Vaginusmus: This is the tightness in the vaginal muscles, and the refusal to loosen up that causes severe pain during sex. This is mostly psychological due to fear of getting hurt, or fear of not being able to live up to the partner’s expectations.
  2. Dryness of vagina: At times, the burning pain can be due to a dry vagina, when there is no lubrication present. This is commonly seen in women over forty, who are nearing menopause. It occurs due to lack of oestrogen. Long standing diabetes mellitus can also be a probable cause.
  3. Sex too soon after child birth: Surgery, or recovery from infection can also be a cause behind burning pain during intercourse.
  4. Infections: Vaginal infections, and pelvic inflammatory diseases are one of the leading causes of the burning sensation.
  5. Vulvodynia: This is a condition where the pain and burning is very acute, yet there is no visible factor causing it. Researchers suggest that this pain could be due to psychological reasons, past experiences of sexual abuse, or past infections and surgeries. Vulvodynia affects as many as 16% of women, and the number could also be higher, given the large number of misdiagnosed cases

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