Sex can be a painful experience for women if they suffer from conditions such as fibroids or endometriosis. In medical terms, this pain is referred to as dyspareunia. There is also deep dyspareunia, which is when the pain is felt within the body, typically during penetration or deep thrusting.
Women with fibroids often experience stomach pain during and after sex, which is why it’s necessary to discuss and understand dyspareunia. Fully understanding this issue means exploring the causes, diagnosis, and treatment options for fibroid-related stomach pain after sex.
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Fibroids & Stomach Pain: The Connection
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths within or outside the uterus that can lead to a wide range of symptoms varying in severity. Some women experience no noticeable symptoms, while others may encounter significant discomfort.
Aside from abdominal pain after sex, the most common symptoms include:
- Heavy and extended menstruation
- Anemia, which causes exhaustion
- Intercourse discomfort
- Frequent urination
- Bloating and/or constipation
- Pelvic or lower back discomfort
- Cramping during menstruation
- Stomach bloating
Our symptom checker below can help determine whether you should talk to your doctor about fibroid treatment if these symptoms sound familiar.
CHECK IF YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE RELATED TO FIBROIDS
Can Fibroids Cause Stomach Pain After Sex?
The presence of fibroids can extend beyond physical symptoms, impacting women’s emotional well-being and relationships. Aside from causing stomach pain after sex, other struggles women with fibroids face include:
- Impact on sex life: Due to the lower stomach pain you may experience during and after intercourse, you might be less likely to want to have sex with your partner.
- Impact on relationships: Depending on how important sex is in your relationship, having less can negatively affect intimacy and create distance between you and your partner.
- Impact on mental health: It’s hard to feel confident and comfortable sexually while experiencing pain related to sex. With fibroids specifically, if you have symptoms causing an enlarged uterus, it can appear that you’ve gained weight, making you feel more self-conscious about your body.
- Impact on reproductive health: The location and size of fibroids can change the shape of the cervix or uterus and even block the fallopian tubes, making it more challenging to get pregnant.
When dealing with these issues, the most critical aspect to focus on is having open and honest communication with your partner. More importantly, in addition to communicating with your partner, you should explore treatment options to relieve fibroid symptoms.
Why do Fibroids Make Your Stomach Hurt After Intercourse?
The location and size of the fibroids influence the type and intensity of pain experienced during sex. Causes for uncomfortable intercourse can include:
- Pressure and discomfort: Large fibroids pressing on the bladder, intestines, or other organs, causing pain in the pelvic and abdominal region.
- Position: Deep penetration during sex can put pressure on fibroids, leading to discomfort and cramping.
- Friction: Friction during intercourse can irritate the cervix, especially if it’s enlarged due to fibroids.
Fibroid stomach pain during and after sex is not something you have to suffer through anymore. Scheduling a consultation with a fibroid specialist means getting a diagnosis and determining the best treatment plan for you.
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How Do Fibroids Cause Post-Sex Stomach Pain?
Fibroids, depending on their size and location, cause various symptoms. For example, fibroids located near your cervix can cause pain during sex due to any irritation or friction caused by thrusting. It is also possible to experience stomach pain after sex or cramps in the uterus, similar to menstruation cramps.
While fibroids may be the source of your stomach pain after intercourse, other conditions, such as endometriosis, can cause post-sex stomach pain.
Other causes of stomach pain after sex could include:
- Sex position: Specific positions, especially deep penetration, can cause stomach pain.
- Vaginal dryness: Some birth control pills cause dryness issues, leading to stomach pain or bleeding after sex.
- Ovarian and Pelvic cysts: Most ovarian and pelvic cysts are painless and go away independently after a few months, but some can grow large enough to cause discomfort and pain.
- Menstruation: Menstrual cramps may be relieved during intercourse, but the pain may return due to uterine muscle contractions and pressure on the cervix.
- Infection or inflammation: A vaginal infection can travel from the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries, causing lower stomach pain after sex.
- Muscle strain: Cramping can occur when the pelvic and abdominal muscles are strained during intercourse, creating stomach pain after sex.
- Bowel and Urinary issues: Pain after sex can result from bladder or urinary conditions as well as digestive problems. Stomach aches after sex are often caused by constipation or gas. Intercourse may also irritate the bladder since it is located in front of the uterus.
- Sexually Transmitted Disease (STI): Some STIs, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea, can induce stomach pains after sexual activity.¹
If you don’t suffer from any of these conditions, then it’s possible that fibroids might be causing the abdominal pain you feel after sex. Take our symptom quiz below to learn more about whether you may have fibroids.
Are Fibroids Causing Lower Stomach Pain After Sex?
The best method of figuring out if fibroids are giving you stomach pain after sex is by consulting your doctor or a fibroids specialist.
Uterine fibroids are often found during routine pelvic exams. Depending on your situation, your diagnosis consultation may include:
- Reviewing medical history: A detailed medical history helps identify potential causes of pain, including fibroids.
- Pelvic exam: A physical examination of the pelvic organs can help detect fibroids.
- Ultrasound: Ultrasound imaging can visualize fibroids and determine their size and location.
- MRI: MRIs are ideal when more detailed information is needed beyond what ultrasounds can provide.
Despite affecting up to 80% of women by age 50, fibroids often go unnoticed. Some women may not think their periods are abnormal or only experience mild symptoms (or none at all). Since fibroid symptoms aren’t always easy to notice or can overlap with other conditions, pelvic exams are great preventative measures to catch any fibroids before they cause problems.
Fibroid Treatment Options
While stomach pain after sex can be uncomfortable, there are treatment options available. Here are three ways women with fibroids can cope with stomach pain after sex:
Medication: This can help manage fibroid-related stomach pain during and after sex. It may not be the best long-term solution, depending on the medication and pain severity.
Hormonal therapy: Depending on the symptom’s severity, hormonal treatment may be prescribed to handle the pain. However, researchers believe hormonal imbalances contribute to fibroid growth, and hormonal therapy (birth control) doesn’t address the root cause. In some cases, it may even worsen symptoms.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE): UFE is a minimally invasive procedure that blocks blood flow to fibroids, causing them to shrink. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can significantly improve the quality of life for women with fibroids.
What is UFE?
Uterine fibroid embolization, also known as UFE, is a minimally invasive fibroid treatment. This FDA-approved, office-based treatment is performed in an outpatient setting with local anesthesia and mild sedation. The procedure takes less than an hour, and patients can return home the same day after a brief observation period. UFE recovery generally takes one to two weeks.
UFE effectively alleviates burdensome symptoms, such as lower stomach pain after sex, to improve your quality of life. It’s a safe and effective treatment option for women of all ages, including those who want to preserve their fertility.
Who Should Consider UFE?
Most women with uterine fibroids can benefit from UFE treatment, but various factors must be considered. At USA Fibroid Centers, we work with you during your consultation to determine whether uterine fibroid embolization is the most appropriate treatment option.
If abdominal pain after sex is impacting your life, exploring treatment options is an important step to finding the cause and managing the pain.
Sources
- Michael Ray Garcia, “Sexually Transmitted Infections,” StatPearls [Internet]., May 30, 2023.
