Experiencing some pain or discomfort during sex is fairly common. However there are treatments available and you should seek further help. If you regularly find sex painful, you should visit your doctor to check there are no underlying causes.

Painful sex falls in to two categories: deep pain and superficial pain.

Deep pain

Deep pain is when you feel pain deep inside you, such as when your partner thrusts, or when the penis or sex aide or toy is fully inside you.

Common causes of deep pain include:

• endometriosis – a condition where cells that line the uterus (womb) grow in other parts of the body
• pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) – a condition where the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries may become inflamed
• fibroids – growths in the womb
• ectopic pregnancy – where the foetus grows outside of the womb
• recent childbirth
• sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea
• having a partner with a large penis
• having a dry vagina.

Superficial pain

Superficial pain is when you feel pain before the penis or sex toy has fully entered in to your vagina. For example, at the entrance of your vagina rather than deep inside.

Common causes of superficial pain include:

• a skin condition
• thrush
• injury to part of your vagina
• a foreign body being inside the vagina
• having a dry vagina
• STI’s such as genital herpes.

Vaginismus

Vaginismus is a condition that causes the muscles around the vagina to tighten by themselves. It usually occurs when the genital area is touched. This can be before or during sexual intercourse, when attempting to insert a tampon, or during a gynaecological examination, for example.