Painful Sex and Psychosexual Problems

Abstract

The World Health Organisation estimated that between 8 and 22 % of women experience painful sex (dyspareunia) at some time. A study of young women in Sweden found that two thirds experienced pain when they had sex for the first time. A different study, but again from Sweden, of over 3000 women aged between 20 and 60 years found that about 9 % had experienced painful sex at some time during their lives; for 20–29 year olds, the figure was 13 % and for 50–60 year olds, 6.5 %. Many women delay in seeking help from their doctor, either due to embarrassment or because they hope that the pain will improve with time. In one of the studies mentioned above, only just over one quarter of the women who had experienced prolonged and severe pain with sex had consulted a doctor.

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