The last time I had sex with my boyfriend was a lot more painful than when we had sex before, and for the entire two days after that, it hurt whenever I peed. Is there a reason for that? Should I be worried?

Anytime you are having discomfort or pain, it’s natural to be worried. There are several reasons why you could be experiencing pain:

One: Sometimes sex can be painful if you are too dry. If you are feeling nervous or anxious about sex, or if you haven’t had enough foreplay, your vagina might not be lubricated enough. Some women who take birth control pills also tend to have more vaginal dryness than others. Using a water-based (i.e., KY, Wet, ID glide, Astroglide) or silicone-based (i.e., Wet Platinum, ID millennium) lube can help reduce friction and increase pleasure. And have fun with foreplay-getting wet naturally can be very pleasurable and will help sex feel better.

Two: Some people are sensitive to latex and may get irritated from using latex condoms. You could always try using a polyurethane condom, such as Avanti, to see if that makes a difference. It’s still considered safest to use latex condoms for sex, but for people with a sensitivity, the polyurethane is a good alternative. It’s also possible that you are having a reaction to the lube on the condom. If you were using a condom with Nonoxynol-9 spermicide, it’s possible that you are sensitive to N-9 and it caused an irritation of your vagina and urethral opening (the tube that urine comes out of the body). N-9 used to be a widely-used spermicide to prevent HIV transmission, but at the 2000 International AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa, research was presented that showed that N-9 was proven ineffective against HIV transmission and actually had the potential to cause lesions and irritation in the vagina. N-9 actually led to higher rates of HIV transmission in sex workers! But there are still some N-9 condoms out there, so be sure to check what you are using. It’s okay for your condom wrapper to say “lubricated,” just make sure it doesn’t list “nonoxynol-9″ as an ingredient.

Three: When you are having sex, the penis is thrusting in and out and can cause excessive friction that can result in an irritation of your vagina and urethral opening. Since your vagina is really sensitive to begin with, having sex, especially long or intense sex, can make the skin feel really painful. This could, in turn, cause your painful urination. Your urethra and your vaginal opening are very close together, so in some sexual positions, your urethra may be rubbing against his penis repeatedly. Once your urethra is irritated, it will likely burn when you urinate after sex and probably for another day or so afterward. Sometimes the pain makes it so hard to urinate that you don’t empty your bladder completely, and you end up feeling like you have to go to the bathroom all of the time.

If the burning or pain continues, or if you keep feeling like you have to go to the bathroom, it is likely that you have a UTI (urinary tract infection). It’s also possible that you may have some type of vaginal infection. Pain could be a sign of an infection or some type of sexually transmitted disease. I cannot diagnose you or tell you what you should do; I highly recommend that you make an appointment with a provider at Student Health and Counseling for a complete evaluation. This is especially true if you are still having pain when you urinate, or have never had a pelvic exam or a pap smear before, since you are sexually active. Seeing a doctor may also be a good time for you to discuss methods of birth control. You can make an appointment with any of the providers, but Anita Bowen, who is a certified OB/GYN nurse practitioner or Gary Wasserman, a gynecologist, specialize in this area. It’s smart to get things checked out and not have to worry.

Questions?

How many times have you had a question about your body or your health that you felt weird asking a friend or someone older, especially when it’s about sex? Jill Ringold, who has a master’s degree in Public Health and is a certified health education specialist, is the health educator in the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness. She’s here to help answer those questions that you really want to ask. If you want to submit a question, please send it to [email protected]

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