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Pain During Intercourse

Pain During Intercourse Overview

Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia) is pain or discomfort in a woman's labial, vaginal, or pelvic areas during or after sexual intercourse. The word dyspareunia comes from early Greek language, and its meanings include "difficulty mating" or "badly mated." Pain during intercourse is described in medical literature dating back to the ancient Egyptian scrolls. Early Hebrews regarded this condition as sufficient cause for divorce. Today, the causes of dyspareunia may be easily discovered and treated.

The number of women who experience pain during intercourse is unknown because the symptoms vary. Also, both doctors and women fail to freely discuss sexual practices.

Recent studies suggest that more than 60% of women report current or previous episodes of pain during sexual relations. Fewer than half of these women discussed this pain with their doctors.

Next: Pain During Intercourse Causes »

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Pain During Intercourse

Adhesions Overview

An adhesion is a band of scar tissue that binds 2 parts of your tissue together. They should remain separate. Adhesions may appear as thin sheets of tissue similar to plastic wrap or as thick fibrous bands.

The tissue develops when the body's repair mechanisms respond to any tissue disturbance, such as surgery, infection, trauma, or radiation. Although adhesions can occur anywhere, the most common locations are within the stomach, the pelvis, and the heart.

  • Abdominal adhesions: Abdominal adhesions are a common complication of surgery, occurring in up to 93% of people who undergo abdominal or pelvic surgery. Abdominal adhesions also occur in 10.4% of people who have never had surgery.

    • Most adhesions are painless and do not cause complications. However, adhesions cause 60%-70% of small bowel obstructions in adults and are believed to contribute to the development of chronic pelvic pain...

Read the Adhesions, General and After Surgery article »



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Medical Dictionary