painful sex - Women's Health Message Board

trisha rose · 04-25-2003, 04:05 AM

in the pass i have had quite a few operations down below _ two ectopics, cists on overies[ sorry about spelling] i have also went through IVF treatment which worked.i have had one overie removed along with one tube.when i had the second ectopic they found a cist on the other overie so i had part of that one taked away. the problem now is that i get really bad pain during sex! my dr has sent me for a scan which came back normal. i am now waiting to see a gynecologist. i think the pain maybe because of the scaring from the operations. can that be sorted my dr thinks not i am not so sure

manzar · 04-25-2003, 05:35 AM

hi...sorry to hear about your problem..i guess your gynecologist can tell you whats best...any how i've also experienced this kind of problem[painful sex]..and went to see doctor for it but everything came out fine...one day my doc asked me to stop thinking too much..he said i was fine...he also told me if i experience great pain during sex...then i should quit having it...it took some while but when i and my partener started again it was fine...probably it was all psycological.

Magpiezoe · 04-25-2003, 11:08 AM

Hello, Pain can be caused from being tensed up or nervous. Also, pain can be caused from not being lubricated enough...being dried up. Another idea is a mild allergic reaction to latex, if you're using a condom or a mild allergic reaction if you're using lubricants like KY jelly. Another idea would be an infection or cyst. Yep, it's a good idea to see a GYN.

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Magpie

winged phantom · 04-25-2003, 12:08 PM

Trisha Rose,
You are right: it could be caused by the scarring from all your previous surgeries. The scars are called adhesions, and they cause a lot of misery and pain for some people. It's quite possible that you could even have bowel obstructions, and lots of other stuff in the future. Do you ever feel a "ripping" or "tearing" sensation in your abdomen? Or sudden twinges of pain that would not be mittelschmertz pain of ovulation?

There is available in the UK a new adhesion barrier called SprayGel which should be used on you the next time you have abdominal surgery. You must find someone who is experienced in adhesiolysis, or the lysis or cutting of adhesions, as adhesions can literally bind all your abdominal organs together. This prevents their normal movement in your abdomen and causes pain. I hope you can find someone who can do this for you; start to ask around, because there are so many doctors who do not believe that adhesions even cause pain.

Note that I'm not telling you to go out right now and have surgery. You just need to find someone who could do it and is experienced in doing it. Because at some point, they may begin to cause you many more problems than you have right now.

Another cause of pain during intercourse is ovarian cancer, and this occurs in 1 out of 55 women, at any age. Most women are diagnosed when the symptoms are advanced and the survival rate for 5 years is about 20%, so early detection improves the survival rates.

The symptoms are subtle, persistent, and usually increase over time. This is a really silent disease, especially since many women have many of the symptoms normally, anyhow. A PAP smear will NOT detect ovarian cancer.

Symptoms:
*Bloating, a feeling of fullness, or gas
*Frequent or urgent urination
*Nausea, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea
*Menstrual disorders, pain during intercourse
*Fatigue, backaches

If any symptoms last more than 2-3 weeks, ask your doctor for a combination pelvic/rectal exam, a CA 125 blood test, and a transvaginal (TV) sonogram.

If you go to the Healthboards Forum: Cancer: Breast, Cervical, and Ovarian, note the "Resource Links" in the blue bar above the topics area. Click on that, and there are a lot of links that can give you more information, including the one to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance:http://www.ovariancancer.org/

I hope this gives you some information about what COULD be the cause. Other posters have given you other possibilities, and I'm sure there are also many others. If this is a bothersome problem, please go to your gynecologist and get it checked out.
wr

kat721 · 04-25-2003, 09:46 PM

TrishaRose, WR has given you a lot of good and detailed information that you should copy and read for your reference.
I would like to add that for women with established female problems and earlier surgeries, that painful sex is almost always linked to a female organ disease process and/or pelvic adhesions.
And If you have adhesions it's likely that once they remove them from your body that they will have some degree of Endometriosis hidden in the scar tissue.
When pain with sex was the worst with me I went searching for a surgeon.
They finally found a massive problem with pelvic adhesions as well as Endometriosis, Andenomyosis, Chronic Cervixitis, Cystic Ovarys and eventually Ovarian Endometriosis which is the condition that can turn into Ovarian Cancer. The existence of the Ovarian Endometriosis was only fully confirmed when my ovary was removed and sent to Pathology. Same thing with my Uterus. They only found the Extensive Adenomyosis when the Uterus had been removed and sent to Pathology.
Having imaging tests come back normal is the norm for these conditions. They can't be seen on any of the imaging tests. It's a waste of money and time and it's a diagnostic red herring because by the time one might have a problem that has gotten bad enough to detect, there's usually a huge amount of damage done to the internal organ area.
It's tough to get clarity but our alternatives and suffering are simply unacceptable so we search and try to get the ball rolling. The sooner we tend our body problems the sooner we get better.
kat