6 Reasons Sex Can Suddenly Become Painful

Pain during sex is an exceptionally common (and frankly disturbing) reality for most women. According to research from the women's health brand OhNut, nearly 75 percent of women experience painful sex at some point in their lives, with a large percentage experiencing ongoing or chronic pain.

Yet there is very little scientific research devoted to female pain during sex. As Lili Loofbourow pointed out in her blockbuster essay on female sexual pain, if you look on PubMed1, there are 393 clinical trials on dyspareunia (recurring pain during intercourse), 10 on vaginismus (extreme pelvic floor muscle spasms, making penetration impossible), and 43 on vulvodynia (chronic pain in the vulva or vagina). Meanwhile, erectile dysfunction has 1,954 studies.

We simply have not devoted enough funds or time to the study of female sexual pain—and it's not shocking in the least. We didn't even know the full structure of the internal clitoris until the '90s, let alone the finer points of female sexual health, arousal, and overall comfort.

Pain during intercourse is not normal. It has simply become so inherently embedded in our cultural vernacular that women and people with vaginas have come to think pain during sex should simply be accepted as a fact of life. This is not OK, and through conversations about sexual health, better sex education for children and adults alike, and the cultivation of medically accurate information, we can move to change the conversation.

Lack of lubrication is one of the leading causes of pain during intercourse or penetration. When the vagina is properly aroused, it naturally expands and becomes wet, allowing for entry. When you're not properly primed for intercourse, penetration of the vagina can feel uncomfortable and even painful. Vaginal dryness can also lead to tearing, abrasions, and even vaginal infections. This is not good!

The pudendal nerve is the main nerve that connects the perineum to the outer genitals, urethral sphincter, and anal sphincter. It has many responsibilities, one of which is to communicate brain signals to the vaginal-clitoral network and vice versa. Damage to this nerve can cause pain during sex, vaginal or vulvar numbness, and pain in the perineum or anus. While research is still fledgling, Naomi Wolf points out in her book Vagina: A New Biography that damage to the pudendal nerve often goes unnoticed and undiagnosed.

While 80% of people3 with a sexually transmitted infection will be asymptomatic, if you're experiencing a sudden onset of pain during sex, bleeding, burning, abnormal discharge, or a combination of these symptoms, you could be dealing with an undiagnosed STI. STIs such as HPV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea can present with pain during intercourse. If you're having persistent pain during sex, you should be screened for STIs immediately.

If you're experiencing sudden, ongoing pain, it could be possible that you have a chronic pain-causing disorder such as endometriosis, chronic vulvodynia, or pelvic floor spasms—to name only a few of the possibilities.

It's hard to totally draw a distinct line between sudden pain and chronic pain, as the two are so often interlinked. You may suddenly experience conditions like vulvodynia, vaginismus, and/or dysperunia in what seems like a sudden manner. The reasons for this are varied: Pain could be due to a past trauma that has become manifestly physical, or it could be connected to depression or environmental stress.

Vaginal pain and psychological factors can be deeply interconnected. Many vaginal conditions (such as vaginismus and vulvodynia) are based both in the psychological sphere as well as the physical body. This is why these conditions are often found in women who don't seem to have any physical issue with their vulvas or vaginas.

There are different treatment options for different types of vulvar and/or vaginal pain. If your pain is bothering you enough to disrupt your everyday life and cause harm to your sex life or overall well-being, it warrants being addressed with a health professional. Make an appointment with your OB-GYN to rule out any medical conditions.

You may also benefit from working with a pelvic floor specialist. These highly trained professionals help to rehabilitate the pelvic floor muscles through strengthening, stretching, or working to calm spasms. If there are any psychological or emotional factors involved, work with a therapist may also be helpful in relieving some of the physical pain.