Our Greatest Wealth Is Health

Andrew Siegel MD    2/24/2018

Sex should be pleasurable and enjoyable, but sadly, that is not always the case.  Dyspareunia is doctor-speak for difficult or painful sexual intercourse, derived from dys, meaning “difficult” and the Greek term pareunos, meaning “lying with.” Although more typically a female complaint, dyspareunia does not spare the male gender.

Thank you Pixabay for image above

A Mechanistic View of Sexual Intercourse

A mechanical view of sexual intercourse is that it is an activity that involves moving parts that need to be lubricated and fit together properly for optimal function.  The “piston” component of an engine moves up and down within the “cylinder,” requiring appropriate fitting together of these component parts and sufficient lubrication to avoid excessive friction among the moving parts. “Piston clearance” is the clearance or gap between piston and cylinder.  If piston clearance is too small, the piston can “seize” inside the cylinder on expansion. If the pistons fits too tightly within the cylinder, it can result in excessive friction and damage to the cylinder wall.  The bottom line is that problems can arise if the piston does not properly fit the cylinder or if there is inadequate lubrication of contact points.

 Causes of Female Dyspareunia

• Size discrepancy with partner – The vagina is an incredibly accommodating organ capable of tremendous stretch and expansion—think vaginal delivery of a 10-lb. baby—so this is relatively rare, but a woman with petite anatomy who couples with an outsized male can be a formula for pain. A lengthy penis can strike the cervix or vaginal fornix and a penis with formidable girth may prove excessive for a narrow vagina, resulting in “collision dyspareunia.”
• Vaginal scarring – Scar tissue from pelvic or vaginal surgery, birth trauma, or poor healing of episiotomies can alter vaginal anatomy and make sexual intercourse painful and challenging.
• Menopause – Estrogen nourishes and nurtures the genital tissues.  Declining levels of estrogen after menopause cause the vaginal walls to thin, become more fragile and less supple, and the amount of vaginal lubrication to diminish.
• Infection – Vaginitis (vaginal infections), bacterial cystitis (bladder infection), interstitial cystitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infections of the paraurethral (Skene’s glands) can all give rise to pain.
• Endometriosis –The lining tissue within the uterus called the endometrium can implant outside the uterus, causing painful intercourse.
• Hypertonic pelvic floor – This is a condition–also called vaginismus– in which the pelvic floor muscles are taut and over-tensioned and fail to relax properly, which can cause painful intercourse, if sex is even possible.
• Vulvodynia – This is a condition marked by hypersensitive vulvar tissues that are extremely tender to touch.
• Loss of vaginal lubrication –  This can happen from menopause (natural or from surgery), side effects of medications, breast-feeding, as well as insufficient foreplay.
• Disuse atrophy – Use it or lose it; if one has not been sexually active for prolonged times, there can be loss of tissue integrity and vaginal atrophy.   Staying sexually active keeps one’s anatomy toned and supple.
• Urethral diverticulum – This is an acquired outpouching from the urethra channel that can cause a cystic mass in the vagina that can result in pain with sex.
• Psychological/emotional – “The mind suffers…the body cries out.” Emotionally or physically traumatic sexual experiences can negatively affect future sexual experiences.

Causes of Male Dyspareunia

Urologists sometimes refer to male dysparenuia as “his-pareunia–not a legitimate medical word, but to the point!

• Infections —Infections of the prostate (prostatitis) and urethra (urethritis) can cause pain with ejaculation.
• Peyronie’s disease – Scarring of the sheath of the erectile cylinders gives rise to an angulated and often painful penis, particularly so with erections.
• Phimosis — This is a condition is which the foreskin is tight and cannot be drawn back, leading to inflammation, pain and swelling.
• Tethered frenulum — The frenulum is a narrow band of tissue that attaches the head of the penis to the shaft; at times it can tear during sexual intercourse, causing bleeding and pain.
• Penile enlargement procedures – Efforts to “bulk up” the penis with injections of fat, silicone and other tissue or prosthetic grafts can result in an unsightly, lumpy, discolored, and painful penis.
• Improperly sized penile implants – Penile implants can be lifesavers for the sexually non-functional or poorly functional male, but need to be sized precisely, like shoes for one’s feet.  If too large, they can result in penile pain and pain with sex.
• Her issues causing his pain – Mesh exposure is a condition in which a mesh implant–used in females to help support dropped pelvic organs and to cure stress urinary incontinence–is “exposed” in the vagina, which feels on contact like sandpaper and can result in both female and male dyspareunia.

Wishing you the best of health,

A new blog is posted weekly. To receive a free subscription with delivery to your email inbox visit the following link and click on “email subscription”:  www.HealthDoc13.WordPress.com

Dr. Andrew Siegel is a physician and urological surgeon who is board-certified in urology as well as in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.  He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School and is a Castle Connolly Top Doctor New York Metro Area, Inside Jersey Top Doctor and Inside Jersey Top Doctor for Women’s Health. His mission is to “bridge the gap” between the public and the medical community.

Dr. Siegel has authored the following books that are available on Amazon, Apple iBooks, Nook and Kobo:

 MALE PELVIC FITNESS: Optimizing Sexual & Urinary Health

THE KEGEL FIX: Recharging Female Pelvic, Sexual and Urinary Health 

PROMISCUOUS EATING: Understanding and Ending Our Self-Destructive Relationship with Food

These books are written for educated and discerning men and women who care about health, well-being, fitness and nutrition and enjoy feeling confident and strong.

Dr. Siegel is co-creator of the male pelvic floor exercise instructional DVD (female version is in the works): PelvicRx

Tags: Andrew Siegel MD, dyspareunia, endometriosis, infections, menopause, painful sex, painful sexual intercourse, pelvic floor dysfunction, Peyronie's disease, urethral diverticulum, vulvodynia

This entry was posted on February 24, 2018 at 7:12 AM and is filed under health and wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.