A lot of women experience dyspareunia or what is known as painful intercourse, it can be hard to diagnose, as there are a lot of causes. There is a debate whether dyspareunia is a pain disorder in it’s own right caused by an organic or physical issue, or a sexual dysfunction in which pain plays a part. To give a few examples, when intercourse is painful form some reason, the thought of having intercourse may make the woman more anxious, impacting her desire.
This means that the woman is not lubricated enough or the pelvic muscles tighten, which in turn makes intercourse too painful and sometimes even impossible. This may lead to the woman completely avoiding sex, which may impact on her relationship with her partner. Another example is when a woman has a urinary tract infection or thrush and is not aware of it, then penetration becomes quite painful and that might also lead a woman to avoid sex altogether, without recognizing that initially it is an organic cause that can be easily cured. These examples demonstrate the relationship between organic and non organic causes. Regardless whether it is organic or not, one needs to look at the emotions, feeling, thoughts as well as the cultural process which may help cause and even perpetuate the issue.