Article: Make an appointment with your primary care physician or OBGYN. Come prepared with a list of topics that you’d like to discuss. Be prepared to talk about how you’ve experienced pain during sex. Ask them about possible treatments. Depending on the potential diagnosis, your doctor may also order tests or bloodwork.  For example, endometriosis is a painful medical condition that can effect women and must be diagnosed by a physician. If left untreated, it can cause a woman a great deal of pain during intercourse.  Other medical causes of painful sex include eczema in sensitive areas, vaginismus or spasms in the vagina, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, or scarring from surgery. Different types of pain might signal certain issues. Tell your doctor when during intercourse you feel pain and what type of pain it is. Some questions you might want to answer include:  Do you have pain during penetration or only during thrusting? Does the pain last after sex? Does the pain throb, burn, or ache? Is this a new pain or an old condition? If you are suffering from a lack (or excess) of testosterone, estrogen, or another hormone, this could impact your level of pleasure or pain during sex. Talk with your doctor about possible treatment options to correct any hormonal problems. They may suggest a cream, a medicated ring, oral medications, or a treatment patch.  Some of these treatments can be highly successful with up to 75 percent of patients stating that their sexual pain lessened.  Menopause, birth, breastfeeding, and polycystic ovary syndrome can all affect your hormones, leading to painful sex. If you have any type of sexual transmitted disease (STD), make sure to talk with your doctor before engaging in sexual intercourse. Also, seek out treatment if you are suffering from any type of genital infection as it could likely cause dryness and pain during sex. For example, men and women can both suffer from cystitis, which is a bladder infection that can cause pain during intercourse. Another common cause is a urinary tract infection (UTI). Visit your doctor get a prescription for an antibiotic. If you have a prior injury, then working with a physical therapist could help to increase your movement and flexibility. These changes may also lessen your pain during sex. Older persons may find physical therapy helpful as well, especially if they suffer from nerve conditions. You can find a therapist in your area by going to the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) website. A sex therapist will talk with you alone, or with you and your partner, about any concerns regarding your sex life. They might be able to offer exercises or communication tactics to lessen pain during intercourse. If you’ve been sexually assaulted in the past, it is probably a good idea to talk with a counselor. This will help you to find pleasure, instead of pain, from sex.

What is a summary?
Talk with your doctor. Describe what type of pain you have. Address any hormonal imbalances. Treat any infections. Enroll in physical therapy. Meet with a sex therapist.