... muscle pain... or... what?

[theebee.livejournal.com]

As much as this has been bothering me, I've been assuring myself constantly that it'll pass. Unfortunately it’s been getting progressively worse, so much so that I’m irritated enough to post a question on here about it.

I’ve only been sexually active for about two or three months now (in a monogamous relationship as well). Our first time was, to put it lightly, intensely painful. It was his first time as well though, so it was over pretty quickly and I was able to grit my teeth through it. The next few times there was still some pain, but not nearly as much, and I knew that this was completely normal. However, in the time following I was still left with pretty intense pain upon penetration. It feels like muscle pain, rather than burning or anything that would lead me to worry about infection, and is localized in the first few inches inside of me. All I can really do is try to relax and wait through it. It does eventually subside, but it is taking longer and longer each time to pass and I’m experiencing a decrease in pleasure with each time as well (very possibly because I’m so distracted by the pain) – so much so that I’m completely unable to orgasm during PIV sex.

I did some reading on this, so I know that some women who experience a significant amount of pain during their first time come to expect it (to some degree) for some time afterward and can also experience involuntary muscle contractions during penetration, causing further pain. My problem is, as much as I relax and reassure myself that it shouldn’t hurt, there is still a great deal of pain and it seems to get worse each time.

So, I guess my question is: Should I have any medical concerns over this, seeing as the pain is concentrated in such a small area? Or should I just give my body even more time to get used to sex? And has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Comments

[punk-is-so-dead.livejournal.com]

Vaginismus! (http://www.vaginismus.com). That would be my guess anyway. I have it, so if you want to know anymore, I can tell you.

[theebee.livejournal.com]

Thank-you! I was actually wondering about that. I was a bit confused, though, because all descriptions of it sounded like exactly what I was going through until they mention that "penetration is impossible" or something to that effect. So that made me wonder if I was completely off target there. Is that just an extreme case of vaginismus, or is it a definitive symptom?

I'm guessing I should talk to my doctor about this when I go in next month.

I'm SO sorry to bombard you with questions here.

[punk-is-so-dead.livejournal.com]

No, don't worry about it. If it gets too personal though, I'd rather e-mail.

And worst case scenario, penetration is impossible but there are many cases where at one point pentetration isn't possible but it becomes possible... or vice versa.

Basically it's just the PC muscles contracting to the point of making penetration painful or impossible. Here (http://www.scarleteen.com/pink/fbi_vaginismus.html) is another really good link about it.

I mean, depending on how often you've had sex, it could just be attributed to inexperience and nervousness that comes along with it.

[theebee.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about things getting overly personal, the links you've sent me are perfect.

I've been with my boyfriend for close to a year now and am completely at ease with him sexually, so I think I'm just going to do a little bit of reading up (again, much thanks for the links!), and then probably bring this up during my exam if things don't improve.

Thank-you so much for answering my questions! They've been bugging me for a long while now.

[fumblerette1.livejournal.com]

It could be a size issue. My boyfriend is pretty thick, and this happens to me most times we have sex. If it's not something like vaginismus, as punk_is_so_dead suggested, you could try giving yourself some added stimulation. I find what helps a lot is if I'm really close to orgasm before we start having sex (from oral sex or just other kinds of foreplay), and then if I rub my clit with either my fingers or a small vibe while he penetrates me, and then for a few minutes after, it makes a huge difference. Hope that helps a little.

[theebee.livejournal.com]

Heh. I was wondering about that, too, actually. My boyfriend's pretty thick as well, and I'd noticed that the closer I get to orgasm the less it hurts when he penetrates. Since it still hurts, though, I was thinking I might be just tensing up because I keep expecting pain and then make it worse for myself. Bah.

Well, thank you so much! I will definitely keep what you said in mind!

[fumblerette1.livejournal.com]

No problem. :) Hope you find something that works!