DEFY Blog
search the defy medical knowledge base:If you’re a woman who has pain during intercourse, you’re not alone. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 3 out of 4 women on average experience painful intercourse at some point.
Sometimes, the issue is temporary and can be resolved with simple solutions. Other times, the problem is more complex and may require integrative therapies like Hormone Replacement Therapy. A hormone imbalance is one of the most common causes of sexual dysfunction and painful intercourse in women.
Read on the learn more about why women may experience pain during intercourse, the symptoms, and the treatments available to help.
There are different types of pain and discomfort included in the umbrella of pain during intercourse. These include:
Pain during intercourse is often accompanied by other signs of female sexual dysfunction, or FSD. In addition to pain, you may feel:
All of these symptoms combined can make intimacy an uncomfortable and stressful experience. Unfortunately, emotional distress can cause muscle tension, which can make pain and discomfort during intercourse worse – creating an unpleasant cycle.
Fortunately, there are treatments and steps women who have pain during intimacy can take to ease their discomfort. We’ll cover several more common causes of painful intercourse and which treatments to try based on the cause. If you’re experiencing pain, a consultation with an experienced medical provider is your best option to determine the cause(s) and a treatment plan for you.
As mentioned previously, hormone imbalance is one of the most common causes of pain during intercourse in women. Most often, the hormone responsible for causing painful intercourse is Estrogen.
Estrogen is important for maintaining sexual and vaginal health. When the body produces too little Estrogen, the vagina can become dry, and its tissues can become thin and less elastic – which leads to discomfort and pain during intercourse.
Other symptoms of a hormone deficiency include:
A hormone deficiency can be caused by menopause or perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause) – but it may also be caused by a number of other factors in women who are not of menopause age.
Comprehensive blood testing is the best way to identify a hormone imbalance. If your results reveal a deficiency or deficiencies, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) can address the issue to help alleviate your symptoms, including painful intercourse.
BHRT protocols typically include Estrogen and may also include Progesterone, another female hormone, along with Testosterone, which women need as well as men (in smaller amounts).
Hormones often work together and impact each other, which is why a complete protocol typically includes more than one.
There are many forms of BHRT, also called delivery systems. These include:
When you become a patient at Defy Medical, you’ll work with an experienced medical provider to discuss your goals for treatment, symptoms, and test results. Then you and your provider will come up with a care plan tailored to your needs and lifestyle. Learn more about BHRT with Defy Medical.
There are other potential causes for painful intercourse. It’s important to note whether the pain is new and acute (happening for a short period of time) or a longstanding issue. It’s also important to see if factors around intimacy may be causing the discomfort.
Painful intercourse may be caused by:
Another potential treatment for women who experience painful intimacy is Platelet Rich Plasma injections.
Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, is made of growth factors and platelets from the blood. These growth factors are responsible for healing and tissue regeneration, and injecting them directly into targeted areas has shown promising restorative results.
Conditions most commonly helped by PRP injections for vaginal rejuvenation include:
During this in-office procedure, a blood sample is taken from the patient and separated into a concentrated PRP blend. The PRP from the patient’s blood sample is then injected into targeted locations, including the clitoral and urethral areas. The growth factors are expected to encourage new tissue growth and healing that may reduce pain and increase sensitivity. Learn more about PRP for vaginal rejuvenation.
Many women who have pain during intercourse feel like they have to just live it – but that isn’t the case. There are therapies that can help ease and potentially eliminate pain during intimacy, so you can have a more enjoyable and passionate sex life.
Defy Medical is a concierge clinic offering therapies that go above and beyond traditional health care to help you optimize your health and wellness. We provide convenient telemedicine consultations with personalized care plans, medications shipped directly to your door, and ongoing patient support so you never feel alone.
Once you become a patient, you can access our full health services including: