Do I Need STD Testing If I’m in a Long-Term Relationship?
Regular STD testing is important for your sexual health, but is it really necessary if you’re in a committed partnership? Here’s what you need to know.
Why Am I Feeling Pain During Sex?
Pain can affect many areas of your life, but the one are where it has no business is in your sex life. Unfortunately, sex can become painful for women for many different reasons, and the condition is called dyspareunia. Thankfully, we can remedy many of these issues.
The team here at Tahoe Women’s Care, led by Dr. Gary Willen, understands the large impact that painful sex can have on your life, and we’re here to help.
In the following blog post, we explore some of the many possible causes of painful sex and how we go about treating them.
Menopause and vaginal issues
The passage through menopause is caused by a drop in your reproductive hormones, which promoted lubrication and vaginal tissue health, among other things.
Among older women, one of the leading causes of painful or uncomfortable sexual intercourse is vaginal dryness. In fact, more than half of women between the ages of 51 and 60 in the United States report problems with vaginal dryness.
Other hormone-related issues that can lead to uncomfortable sexual intercourse after menopause are thinning vaginal walls or a shortening of your vaginal canal.
To address vaginal health issues, we offer vaginal rejuvenation services that include hormone replacement therapies, as well as state-of-the-art laser therapies that improve tissue health.
Endometriosis
Another common driver of painful sex is endometriosis, a condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside of your uterus. When this happens, the tissue can form adhesions that stretch painfully during sexual intercourse.
Treatments for endometriosis can include hormone therapies as well as surgical removal of the adhesions.
Pelvic inflammatory disease
If you have pelvic inflammatory disease, which is typically caused by a sexually transmittted disease, it can lead to painful sex due to swollen tissues. In most cases, we can clear up the underlying infection, which should reduce the swelling and your sexual discomfort.
Uterine fibroids
If you have uterine fibroids that are large enough or located in certain areas, sexual intercourse can become painful. Like with endometriosis, we can try hormone therapies to shrink the fibroids or turn to surgical removal or the growths.
Other causes of painful sex
The list we present above includes some of the more common problems that can lead to painful sex, but there are others, which include:
- Psychological issues
- Temporary infections, such as yeast infections or urinary tract infections
- Vulvodynia — pain in your vulva
- Surgery, such as an episiotomy or a cesarean section
Due to the wide range of possibilities, it’s important that you come see us for a full evaluation so we can identify the source of your discomfort. Once we determine what’s behind your sexual discomfort, we can work quickly toward resolving the problem.
To get on the road to better sexual health, please contact our office in Carson City, Nevada, to set up an appointment.
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