There’s the kind of down-there pain that follows over-zealous sex but then there are other types that are a bit more serious. And unlike diagnosing, say, high cholesterol, identifying what's causing your hoo-ha to hurt isn't always easy. Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine, explains six of the most common causes of below-the-belt pain and what to do if you experience these symptoms.

Vagina hurts remedy


1. Herpes
No one wants to believe they've contracted an STI, but according to the Center for Disease Control, about one out of every six American adults will get it in their lifetime. “Patients will call me at 1 in the morning and say, 'I found a lump on my bottom,'” says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. “My first question after I groggily wake up is, 'Does it hurt like a son of a bitch?' If the answer is yes, it's likely herpes. And if the answer is no, it can't be herpes.” Visible blisters and intense pain accompany the STD. If you spot a bump or blister down below that doesn't belong, contact your ob-gyn immediately. While there's no cure for herpes, your doctor can start you on medications that will cut your frequency of outbreaks and help you manage your pain.


2. Yeast Infections
“While these don't usually give you pain, per se, they can make you feel dry and itchy in the vagina, which some people will interpret as pain,” says Min kin. Chances are good three in four, in fact, that you'll experience a yeast infection in your lifetime. While you can treat a yeast infection with OTC medications (and may choose to if you've experienced this type of infection before), it's best to seek a doctor's opinion if this is your first time dealing with the condition. Your ob-gyn will do a pelvic exam and prescribe you an anti-fungal cream to use until your symptoms are gone.

3. Vaginal Dryness
You may think this is only a problem for post-menopausal women, but you’d be wrong. Thanks to low-estrogen birth control pills, many young women experience vaginal dryness, too, which can make sex uncomfortable and even painful. “Estrogen is a moisturizer,” says Min kin. “So if a birth control pill is low in estrogen, your vagina's moisture will also be low.” If you feel like your va-jay-jay doesn't lubricate the way it used to, it might be time to check in with your doctor. “It's an easy fix because we can treat you with topical estrogen or put you on a higher-estrogen birth control pill,” says Min kin.

4. His Penis
While you may be inclined to blame your own anatomy, Minkin would encourage you to look at your partner, too. “Is it really pain in your vagina that you're experiencing, or is it pain during penetration something you feel inside your belly?” asks Minkin. “It can be very hard to differentiate.” Larger men can be, er, difficult to take in and it may be time to switch positions to something more comfortable. If you're confident this isn't the issue, read on

5. Endometriosis or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
If you have pain during penetration and your period, your symptoms may be pointing you toward endometriosis (when the tissue that lines your uterus grows in other spots) or pelvic inflammatory disease (an infection of the female reproductive organs). “For both of these, a patient might say that she has pain in her vagina, but when I examine her, I'll press my abdominal hand down and mash on her ovaries, and that's when she'll say she feels pain,” says Minkin. Another symptom of these conditions? Excessive bleeding when Aunt Flo is in town. (So fun, right?) After a pelvic exam and ultrasound to determine whether you're suffering from one of these conditions, your doctor will likely put you on a course of painkillers and hormone therapy.

6. Vulvodynia
“About nine percent of women will have this kind of a pain in their lives,” says Minkin, describing the discomfort as occurring during penetration or even when you're inserting a tampon. For some women, pings of pain are spontaneous and unrelated to sex or touching the area in any way. “It's mysterious in that it can come and go,” says Minkin. Doctors who diagnose vulvodynia will often treat it with topical medications such as lidocaine, which is also used for fibromyalgia.

Bottom line? “If everything's okay, it should be better in a day or two,” says Minkin. “Almost anything, as long as it's not extraordinarily painful and it goes away, I'm not worried about. Anything else [that lasts longer], see your doctor.”

You may suppose the sole issue your amount will tell you is whether or not or not you are pregnant or if have to be compelled to pop associate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory as a result of your cramps hurt like sin. however, your cycle will really clue you into different health problems, too.

According to a new analysis from the Yankee Heart Association, ladies whose periods begin at age ten or younger or seventeen and older have a better risk of developing cardiopathy, stroke, and health complications associated with high-pressure level. ladies WHO expertise their initial cycle at thirteen, however, have the smallest amount risk of experiencing those conditions. Granted, that does not mean that your amount causes associates of those issues or that you are doomed to expertise them if you are an early or late bloomer. however, it's still an honest reminder that your flow will function a sign of different things happening in your body.

Period will Tell Your Health

"While expelling habits could modification a trifle through the decades, it is vital to think about changes in Catamenia, like a modification in frequency, length, and quantity [of flow]," says ob-gyn Alyssa Dweck, M.D., author of V is for the canal. Here, Dweck shares six conditions your amount may tip you off too. create a rendezvous together with your gyno if you believe any of them is also a problem for you.

Polycystic female internal reproductive organ Syndrome (PCOS)

Women WHO have PCOS suffer from an endocrine imbalance that results in issues with their periods and their ability to induce pregnantly (it may also cause excess facial hair, obesity, female internal reproductive organ cysts, physiological state troubles, and different facet effects). Luckily, secretion contraception will facilitate treat the syndrome.

Anemia
If you have got a brilliant significant flow, you will be anemic, says Dweck. Anemia could be a condition within which your blood lacks red blood cells or Hb (the main stuff red blood cells ar created of). once this happens, your body does not absorb enough atomic number 8, creating you sluggish and supplying you with different unpleasant symptoms, like headaches and vertigo. Since this may conjointly cause associated iron deficiency, your doc could suggest supplements.

Uterine Cancer
Some of the earliest noticeable signs of female internal reproductive organ cancer are "irregular hurt, hurt when biological time, and hurt in between Catamenia," says Dweck. Experiencing pain throughout sex may also be a tip-off. Of course, these will be signs of different, less serious conditions, too however it's price checking with a doctor if you notice these symptoms.

Thyroid malady
Since your amount is therefore driven by endocrines and your thyroid plays such an outsized role in hormone production and regulation, noticeable changes to your amount sort of a lighter or heavier flow might be a sign of thyroid problems, says Dweck. Thyroid tests will tell you if that will be behind your irregular flow.

Pituitary tumour
If you miss an amount, it may clearly be maternity. however if you furthermore might notice whitish breast discharge, it'd mean that you simply have a pituitary tumor, a benign or cancerous mass on your pituitary. Headaches are a potential symptom, says Dweck. These are most frequently found in older adults (so do not come in instant freak out mode and self-diagnosed), however, they'll occur at any age.

An disorder
When you are not ingestion right, it will have an effect on your flow. "Absent catamenia within the presence of fast or notable weight loss, with a coffee BMI, and/or excessive exercise," purpose doctors to ingestion disorders like eating disorder or bulimia, says Dweck. If this can be behind your amount changes, you doubtless already suspect that you simply are also stricken by disordered ingestion. however, if you haven't come back to terms with it nevertheless, hopefully, this can be the nudge you wish to hunt facilitate.