Sexual Intercourse Should Not Be Painful

Pain During Intercourse

Painful intercourse is a problem that affects up to 28% of women and can be the result of a variety of underlying conditions. At PRM, we are proud that our patients trust us with their care and treatment of these conditions causing their pain.

Understanding Dyspareunia

What Is Pain During Intercourse?

Pain during intercourse, or dyspareunia, can be the result of pelvic floor muscle spasm, pelvic nerve irritation, hormonal influences, trauma, injury, or underlying gynecological issues.

Conditions Related to Pain During Intercourse

Pain during intercourse can result from and be related to many factors, including a variety of pelvic floor conditions.

Pain During Intercourse Is Not Normal

Risk Factors for Pain During Intercourse

Having certain health conditions that may lead to tight muscles and nerve pain can increase the risk of experiencing painful intercourse.

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    Endometriosis

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    Adenomyosis

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    Vulvodynia

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    Menopause related Pain with intercourse

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    Postpartum Pain with Intercourse

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    Bladder Pain Syndrome/IC

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    Chronic Prostatitis

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    History of STD

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    Pelvic Floor Spasm/Hypertonia

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    Hernia

Treatment Options for Pain During Intercourse

Once a proper diagnosis has been given, we offer a proprietary office-based procedure to treat the underlying causes of pain during intercourse. This treatment consists of a series of pelvic nerve and muscle treatments to directly target the spastic pelvic floor muscles, and treat the irritated and inflamed pelvic nerves that are involved with intercourse and orgasm. Depending on the symptoms or condition causing your pain, other modalities may be needed in addition to our treatment. Since the cause of pain with intercourse can be multifactorial, the most effective treatment option is a multimodal approach that targets many different contributing factors.

Frequently Asked Questions: Pain With Intercourse

Experiencing pain during intercourse can be debilitating and discouraging, but our team of pelvic pain specialists will listen to you, validate your experiences and symptoms, and partner with you on your rehabilitation journey.

Yes. Affecting up to 5% of men, male dyspareunia is persistent or recurring pain within the genitals or pelvic floor with sexual activity, and can also refer to sexual dysfunction.

Yes, there is superficial dyspareunia which is pain at the vulva or opening of the vagina, and there is deep dyspareunia which is pain deep within the vagina or lower pelvis.

Painful intercourse can cause stress and anxiety around sex, resulting in a lowered ability to become aroused, and can cause problems within relationships. Additionally, pain with intercourse is the result of another underlying cause, which should be addressed so that the condition does not also become worse.

We recommend scheduling an appointment with one of our pelvic pain specialists if you have been experiencing the symptoms of pelvic pain for 6 months or longer.

First, our providers will ask questions about your medical history and listen to your symptoms to get a full picture of what is going on with you.

Next, an external exam of your hips, abdomen, and posterior sacrum.

Next, your pelvic nerves are evaluated externally with a soft cotton tip.

Next, with your consent, gel is placed on a gloved finger and an internal exam is performed to allow us to evaluate the nerves and muscles within the pelvis.
There is no speculum required as we are evaluating the pelvic floor muscles and nerves, not the organs.

Sometimes patients will need Imaging to help us understand if there is an associated cause of the pelvic nerve and muscle pain and dysfunction found on the exam.

Oftentimes, treatment can be started the same day as there is no downtime. Our patients have been suffering with pelvic pain symptoms for 6+ months. We like to get them on the road to feeling better as soon as we can as the longer the symptoms are present the harder it is for us to resolve them.

We Can Treat Pain During Intercourse

Our pelvic pain specialists are experts in recognizing the symptoms of and diagnosing pelvic pain conditions. With The PRM Protocol, we go further than addressing the symptoms on the surface – we treat the underlying causes of pelvic pain.