Wish you knew

[tea]

I wish I knew that pain during sex isn’t always normal, and for me, was a sign that I wasn’t being stimulated properly beforehand! Getting into the mood is so so important, everyone needs to be in the right mind set to have good sexy times.

[peachy]

@tea agree completely!! After one of my first experiences I had really bad lower abdominal pain for a few days after. Most likely from a bruised cervix from zero foreplay! 

[mak_trouble891]

Ouch! @peachy
I wish I knew how hard it would be sometimes to get sexually turned on and that that’s ok. And that it’s ok to not want sex all th time 

[Nurse_Nettie]

@tea @peachy great comments, but I do just want to add that sometimes pain during sex can be a sign of infection. If you do have unexplained pain or bleeding during vaginal sex, best to see a doctor to make sure you don’t need treatment 🙂

[tea]

@Nurse_Nettie That’s good to know, thank you! Do you have any advice on how I could bring up these kinds of conversations with my GP if it’s something I needed to discuss in the future? 

[Nurse_Nettie]

@tea that’s an interesting question. There’s no shame in being direct!

You can say: Hey, I’ve recently been having pain during sex. Do you think that could be a sign of infection?
 
Then the doctor will probably ask you some questions:

• Where exactly are you feeling the pain?
• What kind of pain is it?
• How long has it been going on?
• Are there any related symptoms (bleeding after sex, for example)?  

All that info will give a doctor a good idea about possible causes. STI testing may or may not be needed! 

How do other people bring up genital symptoms or STIs with their GP? Do you find it awkward? How have your GPs responded? Any tips for @tea?  

[Kit]

Great suggestion and great question @Nurse_Nettie!

I’m really lucky to have a GP on the front foot when it comes to sexual health. The clinic is often participating in sexual health and STI testing trials so my GP probably brings it up first. In any case, I find that has helped create a pretty open environment for discussing sexual health. Although I have a different GP now, I know it can be daunting when discussing with the family GP but I used to try to remember they’ve seen and heard it all—and delivered me!—so what was there to lose? Hope that’s helpful 🙂

[Author]

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