Dyspareunia: symptoms, causes and treatment

Is there a solution to dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse in women?

It is estimated that around 60% of women and 40% of men experience some type of sexual dysfunction.

Among women, the most frequent dysfunctions are usually lack of desire, arousal problems and anorgasmia, and among men, erection problems, premature ejaculation and lack of interest in sex.

There is, however, another type of disorder, perhaps less widespread in psychology but equally frequent: painful sexual intercourse in women, or dyspareunia.. In this article we will see what are its characteristics, and several techniques to cope with the pain.

What is dyspareunia? Main symptoms

These are the the main characteristics and symptoms of dyspareunia:

• The woman experiences pain, burning, discomfort or stinging, at the beginning, during or at the end of intercourse.
• Presents persistent difficulties in vaginal penetration during intercourse.
• She shows an intense fear of pain before, during or as a result of penetration, so she tends to avoid intercourse.

Thus, dyspareunia has a great capacity to impair the sexual life of women. Now then... What are the causes of dyspareunia and are they exclusively the responsibility of medicine?

Causes

According to several studies, the most frequent cause of dyspareunia is psychological. Lack of sexual arousal, inadequate or repressive sexual education, anxiety or previous negative experiences are among the or previous negative experiences are among the possible explanations for this disorder.

Also, of course, the cause may be organic (poor lubrication, vaginal infections, malformations, etc.) so a gynecological visit is always recommended.

Bearing in mind that sexuality is a compendium of behaviors, emotions, thoughts and psychophysiological components, there may not be a single reason that could be causing the difficulty. the evaluation has to be done in a global and holistic and holistic manner.

Treatment: tools to cope with coital pain

Once evaluated... What techniques do we psychologists usually use to intervene in dyspareunia? Let's look at some of the most common ones, with the recommendation that if you are going through a similar situation, you should go to a professional (psychologist or sexologist) to evaluate your specific case and design a personalized treatment plan.

1. Sexual education

Essential in any problem of sexual dysfunction. It is known that exclusively coital stimulations are not enough to arouse the woman's desire, which can lead to lack of lubrication, psychological frustration at not achieving the desired arousal, tension in the pelvic floor muscles, etc.This can lead to a lack of lubrication, psychological frustration at not achieving the desired arousal, tension in the pelvic floor muscles, etc.

It is therefore very important that the woman knows her body, is familiar with her desire and is able to transmit her needs to her sexual partner. And if he or she does not take them into account... there are more fish in the sea.

2. Sensory focus

This is a a technique widely used in couples therapy that has shown positive results in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions. It consists of undemanding intimate contacts, in which the possibility of contact of primary and secondary sexual organs is eliminated.

It is intended to promote intimate and sensual communication.The discovery of pleasurable sensations and the awakening of desire, without the added pressure of having to culminate in a possibly painful penetration.

3. Kegel Maneuvers

This tool consists of performing a series of exercises a series of exercises on the pubococcygeal musculature with the aim of strengthening some Muscle groups involved in sexual intercourse. The aim is to become aware of the states of relaxation and muscular tension, which will help to increase the feeling of self-control in women during sex.

4. Watch out for thoughts!

The self-fulfilling prophecy happens when our thoughts create realities (something that happens all the time). Magic? No. Causal relationships.

If a woman starts a sexual encounter with thoughts like "it will hurt", "I won't be able to take it", "I will never be able to enjoy sex", "I will never be able to enjoy it", "I will never be able to enjoy sex", "I will never be able to enjoy it", "I will never be able to enjoy it". your body will enter a state of tension that will make penetration very difficult, which will end up being painful due to vaginal contraction and lack of lubrication.which will end up being painful due to the vaginal contraction itself together with the lack of lubrication. In addition, the focus on painful sensations will intensify the sensation of pain making it really unbearable.

Through cognitive restructuring techniques and thought stopping, with the help of a psychologist, the intensity, frequency and degree of credibility that we give to these beliefs can be reduced.

5. Mindfulness

One of the difficulties we may encounter in intimate relationships is the lack of concentration. The body is there but the thoughts are on yesterday, tomorrow, on the shopping list or on the clothes that have to be taken out of the washing machine. Thus it is practically impossible to achieve full arousal and appreciate the pleasurable sensations that sex offers.

That is why the techniques of focusing on the present, of being here and now, can be very useful.of being here and now, can be very useful.

To conclude...

Unfortunately, many women suffer in silence from this type of problems due to shame, resignation, myths or lack of information regarding the range of treatments.

That is why I consider it important to spread these treatments and to transmit hope to all those who are going through a similar situation.