What is it?
Pain can be described as primary (present since the person first started having sex), secondary (develops at some other point in life when sex has previously been pain free), it may also occur every time a person has sex or may be situational. Various conditions that may cause sexual pain are vulvodynia, vaginismus, pelvic floor pain, vaginal atrophy, endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, post coital headache (orgasm headache), sexually transmitted infections, lichen sclerosis, clitoral pain, thrush, balanitis, Peyronies disease, genital cysts, hydrocele, the list goes on.
How common is it?
Pain with sex is common so don’t think you are suffering alone. The problem is most people don’t discuss this problem as they are embarrassed or feel shame. Sexual pain is more common in vulva owners, but this said, penis owners experience pain too. Pain is often due to physical factors or medical conditions but can also be psychological or a combination. Statistics are difficult to find as it often goes unreported however, the research says 10-20% of people experience sexual pain at some time in their life.
Treatments
There are many different treatments available depending on the condition. Most likely you will need a collaborative approach to treating sexual pain. This means more than one health professional will need to be involved. Such as a Dr or NP specialised in this area, a specialist (gynaecologist, urologist, dermatologist), pelvic floor physiotherapist, or sexologist. The first step is to speak someone about this issue so diagnosis and treatment can happen. Never ignore pain, full recovery is often possible.
There are solutions!
The good news is that there are many treatments, and most people will find a solution that works for them.
Our Locations Why do we have so many locations and online services available?
This enables us to serve you better and closer to your home or work. We don’t want distance to be a barrier to access. We apologise if this is confusing, if you have any difficulty, please email admin@rshealth.com.au with preferred location and practitioner.