Symptoms
Start with what you feel, find out what usually causes it, and know when it needs a clinician.
- Pain at the vaginal openingPain right at the entrance is usually caused by dryness, a sensitive vestibule (vestibulodynia), pelvic floor muscles...
- Deep pain during sexDeep pain during sex is felt high in the pelvis or belly with deeper penetration. Sometimes it is simply the angle or...
- Bleeding after sexLight bleeding after sex is usually caused by friction, dryness or a sensitive cervix, and it often stops on its own....
- Burning after sexBurning after sex is most often caused by friction and too little lubrication, and it settles within a day. If it las...
- Stress incontinenceStress incontinence is leaking urine when pressure in the belly rises, such as when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift or...
- Pelvic organ prolapsePelvic organ prolapse is when the bladder, uterus or bowel drops and presses into the vaginal walls, because the supp...
- Painful tampon insertionA tampon usually hurts because of the angle, too little menstrual flow, a size that is too large, or pelvic floor mus...
- Coccyx painCoccyx pain (coccydynia) is pain at the very bottom of the spine, usually worse when sitting, leaning back or standin...
Most pelvic and intimate symptoms have ordinary, treatable causes. They are also easy to put off, partly because they feel awkward to bring up and partly because nobody explains what is normal. This section is built around the sensation itself: where it hurts, when it happens, and what tends to sit behind it.
Each page starts with a short answer, then covers the likely causes, what you can try at home, what a clinician will check and the signs that mean you should book an appointment rather than wait. The red flags are listed separately on every page so they are easy to find.
Symptoms during or after sex
- Bleeding after sex: spotting or bleeding after penetration, from dryness to the cervix.
- Burning after sex: friction, infections, urinary symptoms and reactions to products.
- Pain at the vaginal opening: entry pain from dryness, vestibulodynia, vaginismus or skin conditions.
- Deep pain during sex: pain with deeper thrusting, including endometriosis and practical changes that help.
Pelvic floor symptoms
- Stress incontinence: leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump or run.
- Pelvic organ prolapse: a bulge, heaviness or dragging feeling in the vagina.
- Painful tampon insertion: when a tampon will not go in or hurts once it is in.
- Coccyx pain: tailbone pain when sitting, and its link with the pelvic floor.
Many of these overlap. Tight pelvic floor muscles can cause entry pain, tampon pain and tailbone pain at the same time, and low estrogen around menopause can cause dryness, burning and bleeding together. If more than one page sounds like you, mention all of it at your appointment. The appointment checklist helps you put it into words before you go.