A lot of people experience pain during sex for one reason or another, and that’s the case for far more humans than one might initially consider or realize. According to Cedars Sinai, up to 75% of people who identify as women will experience pain during sex at some point in their lives. For many of these this only happens very rarely, but others experience almost every time.

So what exactly is going on when sex is painful? Is there something going on in your body? And is there something you can do to make the pain more bearable? Is it possible to make the pain go away completely? Would something like natural lube help the situation?

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to give detailed answers for every single person who is experiencing some kind of vaginal pain, especially during sex. Because that’s the case, it’s vitally important that you take any serious concerns you have regarding your pain during sex or general vaginal pain to a medical professional for more personalized care.

Vaginal Dryness Causes Pain During Sex

According to Everyday Health, 17% of women between the ages of 18 and 50 have issues with vaginal dryness during sex. This is even the point before they’re dealing with the side effects and symptoms of menopause they’re likely to experience when they’re older.

That means that many people with vaginas are eventually going to deal with some sort of vaginal dryness during sex, and they will potentially also deal with some pain during sex.

Additionally, even if your body typically creates enough natural lubricant during sexual activity, there are some situations where this simply doesn’t happen. Sometimes there’s a disconnect between your feelings in sexual desire and your body’s ability to create natural lubricant.

In this kind of situation, especially given how common vaginal dryness and pain during sex can be, many people can allay the pain they’re experiencing with a natural lube or other over-the-counter solutions.

However, something like natural lube will not be the only solution, as this is going to be too simple for some people with more complicated health and medical issues. Again, if over-the-counter solutions like natural lube don’t work for you and your particular situation, it’s highly recommended to discuss the situation with a medical professional.

You’re Just Not Into It

Depending on how you’re feeling during sexual activity, especially with a partner, it’s possible that you’re simply not particularly interested in participating. Whether it’s because you’re feeling anxious, scared, depressed, or otherwise preoccupied.

However, it’s also possible that you’ll experience some sort of pain or discomfort if you’re trying to participate in sexual activity by yourself and on your own time as well.

In cases where you’re not feeling particularly interested in sexual activity, your body is not very likely to create a lot of its own natural lubricant on its own. That means that you’re not going to be providing enough natural lubricant on your own, especially if your brain is not feeling expressly interested in sexual activity in the moment.

In some of these situations, it may be necessary to communicate with your partner or partners about how you’re feeling and separate yourself from the situation at hand. This also applies to situations where you do not wish to give consent.

Understandably, situations without consent must be treated with care. In those kinds of situations, focus on safety and removing yourself from the situation if at all possible, and reach out for help using resources that are immediately available in your area.

However, there are going to be instances where you aren’t particularly interested in sexual activity but still wish to satisfy partners, and you may want to find solutions for these kinds of situations in particular. As mentioned previously, it’d be a good idea to look at aforementioned solutions like natural lube or other over-the-counter choices.

Something Else is Causing Pain and Discomfort During Sex

There are some other, additional causes that could be causing pain and discomfort during sexual activity.

For example, your experience with vaginal dryness could be a result of some kinds of medication, especially those that are used to treat several mental health issues you may be experiencing. Further, those medications could be making you feel general disinterest in these activities as well.

There are also some other health issues that could influence your experience with sexual pain, such as endometriosis.

In many of these cases, it’s a good idea to have a serious conversation with your medical provider regarding what kinds of options you might have, such as switching medications, getting medications that heighten certain hormonal levels, or topical treatments.

Depending on the seriousness of your situation, you also have the option of trying other, more natural or easily accessible solutions. As previously mentioned, you might try over-the-counter solutions like natural lube, pain medications, or an assortment of other things.