Due to their anatomical structure, the male genital organs are exposed to constant contact with the environment, which increases the risk of infection and spread of infection. Redness on the head and foreskin is a fairly common phenomenon and occurs in every tenth man. An unpleasant disease is called balanoposthitis and can appear at any age and has various causes.
Despite its apparent harmlessness, it can lead to very serious and dangerous consequences. An infection or fungus can cause a serious illness that requires long-term and expensive treatment if you do not seek medical help in time.
What are the causes of the disease, how is it treated and are there any preventive measures, explains urologist-andrologist Alexander Anatolyevich Tsybulin.
What complications can there be?
To effectively treat redness of the glans and foreskin, you must consult a doctor at the first sign.
Otherwise, cicatricial phimosis will cause discomfort. This is a pathology that is characterized by deformation of the tissues of the penis. As a result of constant inflammation and deformation, scars form on the tissues. The foreskin gradually narrows, causing the development of phimosis.
In the absence of therapy at this phase, paraphimosis develops - a pathological condition in which the head is pinched. The condition is usually accompanied by painful swelling.
If the form is advanced and without timely treatment, surgical intervention may be required. Also a serious danger is posed by atrophy of the head receptors with a decrease in sensitivity, which, in turn, leads to erectile dysfunction and decreased libido. This negatively affects the quality of sexual life.
With prolonged redness of the head of the penis and foreskin, without timely medical intervention, urethritis develops. Gradually, the infection leads to the development of complications: prostatitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, orchiepididymitis.
Causes of the disease
The main factors for the spread of infection are:
- poor hygiene;
- the use of antiseptic solutions after sexual intercourse;
- frequent washing of the genitals with soap, leading to skin irritation;
- mechanical damage to tissue integrity;
- uncontrolled treatment with antibacterial drugs;
- anatomical features of the structure;
- hormonal imbalances;
- the presence of certain autoimmune diseases;
- infections.
The disease can be caused not only by sexual (genital) contact, but also by oral and anal contact. Sometimes six months pass before the first symptoms appear.
Symptoms
- Burning in the genital area.
- Pain during sexual intercourse, when urinating.
- Swelling, sharp and burning sensation.
- Exposing the head becomes difficult and pain occurs.
If you have unpleasant symptoms, there is no need to self-medicate and try to find an ointment or gel on your own that will relieve burning and swelling. This always leads to the development of even greater complications, and the infection goes deep into the genitourinary tract.
What diseases cause pain in the head of the penis:
- Pain in the glans penis is observed with bruises or pinching of the glans . A bruise of the penis occurs when a traumatic force is applied to a non-erect organ. A peculiar type of damage to the penis is its pinching. Such lesions in adults are either the result of masturbation or attempts to prevent urinary incontinence or maintain an erection.
- Balanitis (inflammation of the glans penis), posthitis (inflammation of the foreskin) or a combination of both - balanoposthitis . The main cause of balanoposthitis is the accumulation and infection of smegma, a special substance, under the foreskin. This occurs when insufficient attention is paid to the hygiene of the glans penis. The disease begins with the appearance of a burning sensation and itching in the area of the head of the penis, an unpleasant sensation when opening the foreskin. There is also pain or discomfort in the head during sexual intercourse. There is swelling and redness of the glans penis and foreskin. If the disease is caused by phimosis, then pus or smegma with an unpleasant odor is released from the preputial sac. Due to constant irritation of the glans penis, which is the main erogenous zone, sexual excitability increases in patients with balanoposthitis. If left untreated, after some time numerous small ulcers appear on the head of the penis (ulcerative form of balanoposthitis), which is accompanied by pain in the head when walking, urinating and sexual intercourse. With further lack of treatment, lymphangitis develops - inflammation of the lymphatic vessels of the penis, which is manifested by the appearance of red stripes on its dorsal surface.
- When masturbating , pain in the head of the penis and redness are a natural phenomenon.
- The cause of pain in the head of the penis may be phimosis. Phimosis is a narrowing of the external opening of the foreskin. The first manifestations of phimosis usually become noticeable with the onset of puberty, when due to the rapid and uneven growth of the head of the penis and the skin of the foreskin, the narrowing intensifies. Microtears of the mucous membrane of the foreskin and additional cicatricial narrowing occur. Symptoms of phimosis include inability or difficulty opening the glans penis. Pain, especially intensifying during erection, masturbation, sexual intercourse.
- Paraphimosis is pinching of the glans penis when the foreskin is pulled behind the head of the penis. The disease often develops in patients suffering from phimosis. Immediately after pinching, sharp pain appears in the head of the penis, pain and difficulty urinating. There is swelling of the head, its blue-purple color, in later stages - ulceration, a deep constriction at the site of infringement.
How to treat?
Prevention of the disease is the best way to avoid serious consequences. And a significant role in this belongs to compliance with the rules of personal hygiene.
If you notice the first signs, it is important to immediately consult a doctor who will prescribe the correct treatment. A paid urologist will conduct an examination and prescribe appropriate treatment.
The private medical clinic “Doctor Anna” has all the necessary equipment to diagnose the disease and invites you to undergo an examination. Experienced specialists will diagnose, identify the causes of the disease and select an effective course of therapy.
Pain during intercourse
11006 03 June
IMPORTANT!
The information in this section cannot be used for self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, diagnostic tests should be prescribed only by the attending physician. To make a diagnosis and properly prescribe treatment, you should contact your doctor. Pain during sexual intercourse: causes, diseases in which it develops, methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Definition
Pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia) refers to extremely unpleasant and painful sensations that occur in the genitals during coitus. The reaction to this pain can be so pronounced that it forces a person to refuse sexual intercourse. Fear of pain causes muscle spasm, which prevents pleasure from intimacy, and is accompanied by impaired circulation in the pelvic organs and degenerative changes in tissues.
The vicious circle of psychogenic and organic changes largely determines the ineffectiveness of treatment when using only drug therapy.
Types of pain during sexual intercourse
Pain during sexual intercourse can vary in intensity and nature. Depending on the nature of the disease, moderate diffuse (scattered) pain or a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen, a sensation of spasm, burning, and itching may predominate. Rarely, widespread, severe pain may occur in the uterine area or lower abdomen.
Pain is differentiated by location (at the entrance to the vagina or deep pain in the uterine area), time of occurrence (at the beginning of coitus, during the active phase or after sexual intercourse), situation (only with a certain partner or only in a certain position).
Regardless of the location and nature of the pain, it is always accompanied by negative emotions that force one to approach sexual intercourse with fear and hostility.
Possible causes of pain during sexual intercourse
The International Classification of Diseases identifies two causes of pain – organic (associated with diseases of the genitourinary tract) and psychosomatic (the primary cause is associated with a psychological disorder).
Organic dyspareunia in women
In women, pain can be caused by vaginismus, or spasmodic contraction of the vaginal muscles when the penis penetrates there. The cause of vaginismus most often lies in a negative attitude towards sex caused by previous stress, pain or rape.
Less commonly, dyspareunia occurs after genital trauma, childbirth, or pelvic surgery. According to statistics, more than a quarter of women experience pain after a cesarean section, as well as many breastfeeding mothers.
Pain followed by contraction of the vaginal muscles can be caused by insufficient lubricant (lubricant) in the absence of arousal at the beginning of sexual intercourse, as well as due to atrophy of the vaginal mucosa as a result of a decrease in the level of estrogen (the female sex hormone) in women during menopause.
Decreased estrogen levels and vaginal dryness can result from chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Inflammation of the vulvar mucosa is associated with atrophic changes in tissue due to impaired carbohydrate metabolism and estrogen deficiency. Diabetic vulvitis is characterized by standard signs of inflammation - redness, swelling and pain during sexual intercourse.
Vulvodynia (vulvar vestibulitis) is also a common cause of dyspareunia, where pain occurs when the penis enters the vagina. This condition is explained by a multiple increase in impulse transmission from the vaginal receptors to the brain. With such sensitivity, even minor irritation is perceived by a woman as severe and unbearable pain. Sometimes such pain can be provoked by vulvovaginal candidiasis and papillomatosis.
Painful sexual intercourse is observed when there are pathological processes in the urethra and bladder. Thus, interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome) in almost half of the cases is accompanied by dyspareunia, which forces women to consult a doctor. Pain in this case occurs not only during sexual intercourse, but also when the bladder is full, and its peak occurs at the time of the urge to urinate.
Pelvic pain, one of the manifestations of which is dyspareunia, is characterized by constant or cyclical painful, pulling sensations in the sacrum, lower back or lower abdomen. This condition may be caused by a gynecological disease or may not have an obvious organic basis. Most often, dyspareunia as part of pelvic pain occurs in patients with endometriosis, while they also complain of pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea (severe cyclical pain in the lower abdomen) and heavy menstruation.
Pelvic pain and dyspareunia sometimes occur with a pathological position of the uterus (uterine bending, uterine retroversion), weakening of the pelvic floor tone.
Congestive and inflammatory changes in the pelvic organs lead to adhesions, which aggravates the pain syndrome.
Organic dyspareunia in men
In men, the most common causes of pain during sexual intercourse are inflammatory diseases of the prostate gland and urethra.
Pain usually occurs at the moment of ejaculation. If pain accompanies the moment of erection, it can be caused by inflammation or loss of elasticity of the foreskin.
Dyspareunia is often a symptom of infectious diseases of the genitourinary tract, for example, urogenital chlamydia. At the same time, you may experience urethral discharge, painful urination, and symptoms of epididymitis (inflammatory disease of the epididymis) or prostatitis (inflammatory disease of the prostate gland).
Fibrous plaques in the tunica albuginea and cavernous tissue of the penis in Peyronie's disease cause deformation of the penis during erection, which is accompanied by painful sensations during sexual intercourse.
Psychosomatic dyspareunia
In addition to its organic nature, dyspareunia also has psychogenic causes: improper sex education, psycho-emotional trauma, delayed psychosexual development, unfavorable onset of sexual activity. Patients often have a history of gynecological and urological diseases that have a long course. Psychosomatic dyspareunia may also be accompanied by pathology of the genital organs, but their severity is low and most often presents only minor changes.
Which doctors should I contact if I have pain during intercourse?
Dyspareunia combines a complex of problems, the solution of which can be ensured by the joint work of doctors.
As a rule, a woman experiencing pain during sexual intercourse turns to, but treatment without taking into account psychosomatic disorders may be ineffective, so it is recommended to involve a sex therapist in therapy.
A man experiencing pain during sexual intercourse should contact.
Diagnosis and examinations for pain during sexual intercourse
Diagnosis of the disease that causes dyspareunia is difficult and usually includes several stages.
First of all, a thorough history is required, which allows us to identify not only the nature and location of pain, but also the time of its onset (from the very beginning of sexual activity, after childbirth or surgery, with the onset of menopause, etc.). It is very important to assess psychosocial factors - stress during the first sexual intercourse, cases of unwanted sex, violence, dissatisfaction with family life, lack of libido.
After collecting anamnesis, women undergo an examination of the external genitalia, which allows visualization of areas of redness, signs of candidiasis or vaginosis. The doctor also conducts a digital or bimanual (two-handed) examination, in particular, this is necessary to identify vaginismus and vulvodynia. If discharge is present, a Pap smear, wet-slide microscopy, and culture are necessary.
