1 in 13 women say they have painful sex

27th January 2017 – Around 1 in 13 UK women find sex painful, say researchers.

The study in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG) focuses on a condition known as dyspareunia in which a woman experiences genital or pelvic pain before, during or after intercourse.

The condition can be upsetting and many women feel too embarrassed to seek help.

Researchers surveyed 6,669 sexually active women who were aged between 16 and 74. Of these, 7.5% said they had experienced painful sex. For 1.9%, the pain was frequent, lasted at least 6 months and left them feeling distressed.

Women who were aged 55 to 64 and those in the youngest group, aged 16 to 24 were most likely to find sex painful.

In addition, of another group of 1,708 women who had not been sexually active during the previous year, 211 said they avoided intercourse, with 35 reporting that this was due to painful sex or a fear of feeling pain.

Lack of interest in sex

Painful sex was associated with factors such as vaginal dryness, feeling anxious during sex, and lack of enjoyment in sex. It was also linked to poor physical health and depression, as well as being sexually incompatible with a partner.

The researchers compared women who said sex had been painful for three months or more with those who didn't report any pain. They found that:

• 62% lacked interest in sex, compared with 31.9%
• 45.2% had an uncomfortably dry vagina, compared with 10.4%
• 44.9% avoided having sex because of their own, or their partner's, sexual difficulties
• 40.2% had difficulty having an orgasm, compared with 14.4%
• 40.1% didn't enjoy sex, compared with 9.9%
• 30.9% had an unsatisfactory sex life, compared with 10.1%
• 28.9% were distressed or worried about their sex life, compared with 9.2%
• 24.3% felt no arousal or excitement during sex, compared with 6.9%
• 20.7% felt anxious during sex, compared with 4%.

Talking about sex

The findings come from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) – a scientific study of sexual health lifestyles in Britain. It was carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University College London (UCL) and NatCen Social Research.

Kirstin Mitchell, from the University of Glasgow, who led the research, says in a statement: "There is also a need for resources to support clinicians who feel uncomfortable broaching the topic of sexual function and pleasure with patients, including advice on language and on when to refer patients to specialists in sexual health."

Edward Morris, vice president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), says in a statement: "This study raises the need for increased awareness that sex is more likely to be painful at the extremes of reproductive life (ie. in young women and those who have gone through the menopause). It also reveals an association between painful sex and women wanting to have known more at first sexual experience.

"Given that painful sex is common in younger women, and that half of young women report their first experience of intercourse as painful, it would be beneficial to ensure that the possibility of pain is discussed openly in sex education and in consultations between young people and health professionals.

"It is important that women who experience recurrent painful sex speak to their doctor or healthcare professional."