5 Reasons Why Sex Can Feel Painful

Sex is supposed to feel good, right? Right. But the sad truth is that it doesn’t always. In fact, reports show that 75% of women experience painful sex at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of women. Why are so many of us hurting?

There are tons of potential reasons, but here we highlight five of the most common causes of those less-than-perfect sensations you’re feeling during intercourse.

First things first: did you know the personal care products you use can actually cause inflammation down there? Soaps, body washes, and perfumes are just a few of the items that tend to contain chemicals that can irritate the vagina.

What’s more, most women know when something’s off in between their legs. Whether their discomfort is due to a yeast infection, a sexually transmitted disease, or bacterial vaginosis (which can either be asymptomatic or characterized by discharge, odor, or itching), pretty much anything unusual that goes on below the belt can interfere with sex, making it feel more painful than pleasurable. Ugh.

RELATED: 10 Ways to Deal With Painful Sex

Other potential intercourse interferences include vaginismus (when muscles involuntarily tense up), vaginal dryness, or ovarian cysts. They may sound scary, but each of these conditions can be treated quite easily.

Want to learn exactly how you can treat these pleasure-blockers? In this video, we teach you about five common reasons why sex can feel painful, and give simple solutions for each. Tune in if you’re suffering from any of these annoying sexual health problems, so you can get back between the sheets (and enjoy it!) ASAP.