Pain during penetration, burning, itching: these are just some of the symptoms of dyspareunia . Behind this word so difficult to pronounce lies a disorder that unites many women: pain during sexual intercourse .

According to a study conducted in Great Britain and published last January in the journal of gynecology and obstetrics Bjog , one in 10 women suffer from it . But it is likely that dyspareunia is an underestimated phenomenon: we women are the first to struggle to admit that making love hurts us.

Dyspareunia is a pain that can be felt both externally , at the level of the vulva, and internally , at the level of the vagina and pelvis. It can accompany us from the first sexual intercourse or arise only later, it can happen independently of the partner or be linked to a certain type of position or people with whom you share intimacy.

The causes of dyspareunia

The types of dyspareunia are many, as many can be the causes. Pain during sexual intercourse can depend on psychological or physical factors .

The psychological causes can be linked both to a bad relationship with one’s intimacy and sexuality , and to problems related to a specific situation or person: tension with the partner, insufficient foreplay, sexual dissatisfaction .

The physical causes may depend on “tangible” factors such as vulvitis, vaginitis and cystitis, endometriosis , birth outcomes (episiotomy or lacerations), but also pelvic hypertonus .

Yes, because the health of the pelvic floor plays a fundamental role in sexual disorders such as dyspareunia: weak and neglected pelvic muscles can remain in a state of perennial (and involuntary) contraction, giving rise to pelvic tension and therefore, during sex , to dyspareunia.

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Pelvic gymnastics against dyspareunia

That is why it is so important to exercise the pelvic floor, but above all to do it correctly . If you often have pain during sexual intercourse, first try to familiarize yourself with your pelvic muscles , learning to recognize and control them.

When you pee, occasionally block the jet and let it resume . Lie on your back with your legs bent, contract the perineal muscles imagining that you have to “chew” a bite (continue for 30 seconds, and repeat).

Always in the same position, once you are familiar with these simpler exercises, try to imagine having a sphere at the mouth of the vaginal canal and having to lift it up, maintaining the contraction for 10-15 seconds on the “floor” more tall.

Vaginal balls, dilators, lubricants against dyspareunia

A valid ally to perform pelvic training are the vaginal balls , which cause the pelvic muscles to contract spontaneously in order not to let them slip away. But even in this case it is important to choose the right balls for your body .

The best choice may be the sets of vaginal balls: geisha balls of different weights and sizes that can accompany you from the beginning to the end of your training, starting from the lightest to gradually move on to heavier weights.

To gradually accustom the vagina to penetration, vaginal dilators can prove to be very useful : little by little they bring the vaginal muscles to familiarize themselves with a “foreign body” inside them, gradually overcoming the physical and psychological resistances to penetration.