My WebMD Sign In

Please enter email address

Enter your password

Keep me signed in on this computer

Show more Information

If you select "Keep me signed in on this computer", every time you visit WebMD.com you won't have to type your email address and password. This means that a cookie will stay on your computer even when you exit or close your browser which may reduce your levels of privacy and security. You should never select this option if you're using a publicly accessible computer, or if you're sharing a computer with others. Even if you select this option there are some features of our site that still require you to log in for privacy reasons.

Forget your password? Having trouble signing in?

Why should I
sign up for WebMD?

With a WebMD Account you can:

Track your way to weight loss success
Manage your family's vaccinations
Join the conversation

See more benefits Sign Up

Why WebMD?

My WebMD

Show Menu

Facebook Twitter Pinterest

WebMD Home

Health & Sex Center

Health & Sex Feature Stories

Email a Friend

Print Article

Health & Sex

Tools & Resources

Font Size

Pain During Sex

WebMD Feature

May 1, 2000 (Reno, Nev.) -- Besides vulvar vestibulitis, other conditions can cause pain during intercourse. If you have this complaint, see your doctor, who will first rule out yeast or other infections and then investigate other possible causes.

Inadequate lubrication within the vagina can cause pain. Normally, a woman's vagina secretes lubricating fluid when she is sexually aroused, but menopause, breastfeeding, tension, and certain prescription drugs can hamper this process. Creams, jellies, or vaginal suppositories are recommended. (Beware: Oils or petroleum jellies can dissolve latex condoms.)

Recommended Related to Sex & Relationships

New Money Rules for Couples

By Virginia Sole-Smith Nothing makes me feel more overtly "married" than when I open up my wallet to pay at Home Depot and pull out the shiny blue debit card labeled, in big block type, SHARED. My husband, Dan, broke out the label maker two months after we got married to distinguish the cards linked to our joint account from the identical blue debit cards we use for our separate personal checking accounts. (And in the rush of newlywed excitement, it didn't occur to him to use a more discreet...

Read the New Money Rules for Couples article > >

Pain deep inside the vagina can be a sign of such problems as ovarian cysts, infection of the uterus or fallopian tubes, endometriosis (a condition in which menstrual tissue flows back through the fallopian tubes and begins to grow outside the uterus, usually in the abdominal cavity), or scar tissue from an old infection or previous surgery. Your doctor may perform a laparoscopy (examination with a thin tube-like camera through a small incision in the navel) to determine what's wrong.

A tilted uterus can also cause pain if your partner's penis strikes your cervix or uterus during sex. This is usually present from birth and normally does not cause any other problems.

Sometimes pain is caused by vaginismus, a condition in which the muscles of the vaginal wall involuntarily spasm. Physical therapy may be helpful.