Painful sex (dyspareunia)
Health topics Sex and sexual health Painful sex (dyspareunia) Painful sex is common, but it’s not normal. Many people experience it at some stage in their lives. Dyspareunia is the medical term used to describe pain before, during or after sex. Print / PDF What is sex? What is painful sex? Symptoms of painful sex What causes painful sex? How to treat and manage painful sex What you can do to improve your sexual experience When to see your doctor Reviewed For the most update information on this topic, please visit jeanhailes.org.au Key takeaways Dyspareunia is pain felt before, during or after sex. It’s common to have painful sex – and it can happen at different times in your life. There are many reasons why you might experience painful sex, including vaginal dryness, injury, trauma and stress. If you have painful sex, your doctor can give you treatment options or refer you to a specialist. Sections on this page What is sex? What is painful sex? Symptoms of painful sex What causes painful sex? How to treat and manage painful sex What you can do to improve your sexual experience When to see your doctor Print / PDF Key takeaways Dyspareunia is pain felt before, during or after sex. It’s common to have painful sex – and it can happen at different times in your life. There are many reasons why you might experience painful sex, including vaginal dryness, injury, trauma and stress. If you have painful sex, your doctor can give you treatment options or refer you to a specialist. What is sex? Sex is any activity that one or more people do to feel sexually excited. Sex is broader than sexual intercourse (penetrative sex). It can involve touching, kissing or even talking. Sex should be enjoyable for everyone involved. And everyone should agree or consent to the sexual activity. What is painful sex? Painful sex is when you experience pain during arousal, foreplay or orgasm. You may feel pain with external stimulation or during penetration. Some people experience pain after sex has finished. It’s important to know that painful sex doesn’t have to happen every time to be a concern. Even occasional pain during sex is considered painful sex. Symptoms of painful sex If you have painful sex, you might feel: entry pain (with penetration) deep pain (with thrusting) burning, aching or throbbing pain. What causes painful sex? Physical and emotional factors can cause painful sex. Physical causes may include: vaginal dryness – due to lower oestrogen levels that can happen when breastfeeding, at menopause and when using certain medicines reduced thickness and elasticity of the vaginal walls – due to lower oestrogen levels reduced arousal and lubrication before sex overactive pelvic floor muscles or involuntary muscle spasms (vaginismus). recurring vaginal thrush urinary tract infections (UTIs) skin conditions (e.g. dermatitis or lichen sclerosus). health conditions (e.g. endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts). vulval pain. Emotional causes may include: relationship problems stress mental health issues gender identity issues past sexual abuse not wanting to get pregnant. Many people who experience painful sex also have lower sex drive (libido). How to treat and manage painful sex Treatment options depend on the cause of your pain. Your doctor may recommend: lubricant creams and gels, vaginal moisturisers and oestrogen cream or pessaries (for vaginal dryness) menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to improve general wellbeing around the time of menopause changing medicines or contraception – some types may impact vaginal lubrication and sex drive seeing a psychologist or sex therapist to help reduce your fear of pain relationship counselling seeing a qualified pelvic floor physiotherapist to help with pelvic floor muscle relaxation, trigger-point therapy, vaginal trainers or soft tissue and vaginal massage. In this video, physiotherapist, Janetta Webb talks about pelvic floor physiotherapy for the management and treatment of dyspareunia. What you can do to improve your sexual experience If you want to improve your sexual experience, you can try these practical ideas: Tell your partner what you like or don’t like – and stop sex if you feel pain. Change sexual positions or techniques. If you experience pain during thrusting, sit on top of your partner so you can control the depth of penetration. You can also try different or longer foreplay to increase your arousal. Use lubricants to increase arousal and comfort during sex. Focus on yourself. Try to switch off any worries, tune in to your body and enjoy the moment. Be intimate in different ways. If you have a partner, try kissing, cuddling, massage, mutual masturbation and oral sex. This may enhance your sex drive. Try a vaginal dilator (a tube-shaped device to stretch your vagina) or a small vibrator. These may help you to relax your pelvic floor muscles. When to see your doctor If you are experiencing painful sex, see your doctor. They will find and treat the cause or refer you to a specialist. Review process Our review process This information has been reviewed by clinical experts and is based on the latest evidence. Our content review process ensures our health information is accurate, trustworthy, current and useful. We regularly check our information to make sure it reflects the latest clinical guidelines and key findings from large, reliable studies. Where possible, we focus on Australian research to make our information more relevant locally. Experts play a key role in reviewing our content. Clinicians at Jean Hailes check information for accuracy and real‑world relevance. These include GPs, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, psychologists and allied health professionals. We also work with partner organisations, independent specialists and people with lived experience to make sure our content reflects both expert knowledge and the experiences of the community. Health information in your language view all You might want to know more about Topic Enjoying your sex life Topic Healthy relationships Topic Safer sex and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Topic Sex and sexual health Abortion • Contraception • Enjoying your sex life • Healthy relationships • Painful sex (dyspareunia) • Safer sex and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) • What can affect your sex life?

Painful sex (dyspareunia)

Painful sex is common, but it’s not normal. Many people experience it at some stage in their lives. Dyspareunia is the medical term used to describe pain before, during or after sex.

Print / PDF

Reviewed

Key takeaways

Dyspareunia is pain felt before, during or after sex.
It’s common to have painful sex – and it can happen at different times in your life.
There are many reasons why you might experience painful sex, including vaginal dryness, injury, trauma and stress.
If you have painful sex, your doctor can give you treatment options or refer you to a specialist.

Key takeaways

Dyspareunia is pain felt before, during or after sex.
It’s common to have painful sex – and it can happen at different times in your life.
There are many reasons why you might experience painful sex, including vaginal dryness, injury, trauma and stress.
If you have painful sex, your doctor can give you treatment options or refer you to a specialist.

What is sex?

Sex is any activity that one or more people do to feel sexually excited. Sex is broader than sexual intercourse (penetrative sex). It can involve touching, kissing or even talking.

Sex should be enjoyable for everyone involved. And everyone should agree or consent to the sexual activity.

What is painful sex?

Painful sex is when you experience pain during arousal, foreplay or orgasm. You may feel pain with external stimulation or during penetration. Some people experience pain after sex has finished.

It’s important to know that painful sex doesn’t have to happen every time to be a concern. Even occasional pain during sex is considered painful sex.

Symptoms of painful sex

If you have painful sex, you might feel:

entry pain (with penetration)
deep pain (with thrusting)
burning, aching or throbbing pain.

What causes painful sex?

Physical and emotional factors can cause painful sex.

Physical causes may include:

vaginal dryness – due to lower oestrogen levels that can happen when breastfeeding, at menopause and when using certain medicines
reduced thickness and elasticity of the vaginal walls – due to lower oestrogen levels
reduced arousal and lubrication before sex
overactive pelvic floor muscles or involuntary muscle spasms (vaginismus).
recurring vaginal thrush
urinary tract infections (UTIs)
skin conditions (e.g. dermatitis or lichen sclerosus).
health conditions (e.g. endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts).
vulval pain.

Emotional causes may include:

relationship problems
stress
mental health issues
gender identity issues
past sexual abuse
not wanting to get pregnant.

Many people who experience painful sex also have lower sex drive (libido).

How to treat and manage painful sex

Treatment options depend on the cause of your pain. Your doctor may recommend:

lubricant creams and gels, vaginal moisturisers and oestrogen cream or pessaries (for vaginal dryness)
menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to improve general wellbeing around the time of menopause
changing medicines or contraception – some types may impact vaginal lubrication and sex drive
seeing a psychologist or sex therapist to help reduce your fear of pain
relationship counselling
seeing a qualified pelvic floor physiotherapist to help with pelvic floor muscle relaxation, trigger-point therapy, vaginal trainers
or soft tissue and vaginal massage.

In this video, physiotherapist, Janetta Webb talks about pelvic floor physiotherapy for the management and treatment of dyspareunia.

What you can do to improve your sexual experience

If you want to improve your sexual experience, you can try these practical ideas:

Tell your partner what you like or don’t like – and stop sex if you feel pain.
Change sexual positions or techniques. If you experience pain during thrusting, sit on top of your partner so you can control the depth of penetration. You can also try different or longer foreplay to increase your arousal.
Use lubricants to increase arousal and comfort during sex.
Focus on yourself. Try to switch off any worries, tune in to your body and enjoy the moment.
Be intimate in different ways. If you have a partner, try kissing, cuddling, massage, mutual masturbation and oral sex. This may enhance your sex drive.
Try a vaginal dilator (a tube-shaped device to stretch your vagina) or a small vibrator. These may help you to relax your pelvic floor muscles.