Painful Intercourse
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Pain during sex
Dyspareunia
Female genital pain during sex
Pain during penetration
Burning vaginal pain
About the Symptom
Pain with vaginal intercourse. Refers to female genital pain related to sexual activity.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Pain during sex
Possible Causes
Generally, Painful intercourse can be related to:
- Uterine Cancer
The vast majority of women develop post-menopausal bleeding as their first symptom of uterine cancer or cancer of the womb. Risk factors include age, with most cases appearing after menopause, a history of estrogen-only hormone treatment, and obesity. Diagnosis is after a pelvic exam, ultrasound, biopsy and other scans to determine whether the cancer has spread.
- Endometriosis
A condition where endometrial cells (cells that line the womb) grow outside the uterus, typically near the ovaries or fallopian tubes. It is a common cause of pelvic pain, that can worsen with menstruation. The exact cause is unclear but there are several possible explanations, including the backward flow of menstrual blood into the abdominal cavity, immune system disorders, or transformation of normal abdominal cells. It is typically seen in reproductive aged women, and most often diagnosed in their 30's and 40's. It can cause infertility in some patients due to scarring of the fallopian tubes.
- Trichomoniasis
Infection of the vagina by a parasite called Trichomonas. The disease is sexually transmitted but often does not cause any symptoms in men.
- Genital Herpes
- Atrophic Vaginitis
- Adenomyosis
- Cervical Cancer
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Painful intercourse may be related to these serious diseases:
- Sexual Trauma
Genital trauma meaning injury to the genitals, can occur for a variety of reasons. Most often caused by sports injuries, accidents such as on a bicycle, or vigorous intercourse. Tears or injuries can also occur with childbirth. Sexual assault should also be considered.
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Ovarian Hemorrhage
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Do you feel pain during sexual intercourse?
- Have you experienced pain during sexual intercourse before?
- How long have you had pain during sex?
- How has your pain during sexual intercourse evolved?
Reviewed By:
Ravi P. Chokshi, MD (Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN), Critical Care)
Current Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellow with Dual board certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Critical Care Medicine. | 5+ years experience managing a general Ob/Gyn practice and working in the Intensive Care Unit. | Previously Physician Lead of a large single specialty practice with 8 Physicians and 10+ Advanced practitioners. | Member of the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Patient education committee. | Frequent Medscape Consult contributor.
Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD (Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN))
Dr. Kanazawa graduated from the Niigata University Faculty of Medicine and received his Ph.D. from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. He is working on the front line of the General Perinatal Center, including the Tokyo Tama General Medical Center and the National Center for Research in Fertility Medicine, where he provides maternal and fetal care and undertakes clinical research. At Ubie, Dr. Kanazawa has been designing the Ubie AI Symptom Checker and has taken on the role of general obstetrics and gynecology consultation at FMC Tokyo Clinic by providing fetal ultrasound and prenatal consultation.
Content updated on Feb 6, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Vagina feels like burning during sex (painful sex)
- Have pain when having sexual intercourse
- Painful penetration sex (painful sex)
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Have pain during intercourse
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Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Am Fam Physician. 2011;84(6):705-709
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2011/0915/p705.htmlDyspareunia in Women, Am Fam Physician. 2014;90(7):465-470
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2014/1001/p465.htmlTayyeb M, Gupta V. Dyspareunia. [Updated 2023 Jun 5]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562159/Female Sexual Dysfunction ACOG Practice Bulletin Clinical Management Guidelines for Obstetrician–Gynecologists, Number 213
https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2019/07000/female_sexual_dysfunction__acog_practice_bulletin.45.aspx