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May
31
Date:   May 31st, 2022
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What causes burning after sex?

Experiencing burning sensations on your body sometimes can be normal. However, it becomes discomforting, alarming, and unpleasant when it’s below your belt.  

Of course, most people will only associate genital symptoms like burning sensation and itching after sex to sexually transmitted infections. While STIs are a possibility, there are also multiple reasons you may experience burning after sex.

This article covers some of the causes of genital burning in both males and females and how to manage them?

Possible causes of burning after sex

Sure, sex shouldn't be hurting; instead, it should be fun, enjoyable, and pleasurable. However, sometimes that's not the feeling people some people experiences. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) indicates that about three out of four women experiences pain during intercourse. The most common one is a burning sensation.

Common causes of burning sensation in females

Females may have the burning feeling due to:

Vaginal dryness

This is a really common concern for most women. It occurs across various ages and results from multiple factors like hormonal changes and violent or penetrative sex. Sometimes, the vaginal fails to self-lubricate before intercourse.

  • Hormonal change

It’s common for women to experience vaginal dryness during their different menstrual cycle stages. During this time, the vaginal tissues will dry up due to the rise of the hormone progesterone. When that happens, it can cause a stinging or burning sensation.

  • Use of contraception

When used for a long period, some birth control will interfere with the amount of testosterone production in the ovaries. Since testosterone assists with lubrication, whenever your levels drop, then it means you'll have a dry vagina, which results in a burning sensation.

  • Childbirth or nursing

When breastfeeding, a woman's postpartum hormone can decrease their estrogen levels, thus reducing the blood circulation to the genitals and affecting vaginal lubrication.

Decrease blood flow causes the vagina to dry and greater friction during sex, resulting in sensation. And sometimes, women may experience dryness for about 6-12 months postpartum or after giving birth.

  • Menopause

Menopause can also result in vaginal dryness. The perimenopause period limits your body's chances of lubricating itself. This is due to the decrease in the production of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, thus causing vaginal dryness that later turns frictional, causing a sensation.

The changes if the levels of these hormones may also cause vaginal atrophy;

  • Atrophic vaginitis

This is the thinning of the vaginal walls caused by estrogen's low or decreased production. The condition mostly occurs after menopause.

Once your vagina gets thinner, dryer then comes the higher possibility of forced penetration during sex. Something that causes severe pain and irritation or burning sensations during and after sex.

Apart from the pain and irritation, you may also experience:

  • Inadequate vaginal moisture
  • Vaginal inflammation or burning
  • Tightening and shortening of the vaginal canal and walls
  • Frequent urge or need to urinate
  • Painful or itchy urination
  • Urine incontinence or accidental urine dropping and leakage

 

  • Hormonal disorders

Certain conditions that affect a woman's hormone levels, like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), will lower or reduce estrogen levels, thus causing dryness.

Infections

Unfortunately, vaginal pain and burning may be side effects of various infections, including bacteria vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, and yeast infections in both males and females.

  • Yeast infections

While vaginal yeast infections are common, the condition causes inflammation, itching, and irritation that results in discomfort.

The irritation and scratching of the vagina surroundings will then result in a burning sensation. Of course, there are several other symptoms of vaginal yeast infections like itching, redness, colorless discharge from the vagina, and pain during sex. And whenever there’s pain, the resulting side effect will be a burning sensation.

  • Bacterial vaginosis

This is another cause of burning after sex feelings. Usually, your body has several bacteria that work to balance various functions.

However, sometimes the balance doesn't work as expected, and you find more bad bacteria in the body than the good ones. If the condition is not monitored, it may result in bacterial vaginosis (BV), which is a common condition.

If you have this type of infection, you'll feel the burning on various occasions: not only when having sex, but you may recognize the condition through symptoms like:

  • Burning sensation while urinating
  • Smelly or fishy vaginal discharge
  • Pain and itching in the vulva
  • White or gray discharge

Can you have sex if you have BV? This question is disturbing, and most women have been asking about it. The answer is yes! You can’t pass the condition to men. Still, the burning sensation will make it hard for penetration, especially when there is no proper lubrication.

Unfortunately, you may get BV or pass it to others with a vagina through sharing unsafe sex toys, finger penetration, or having vulva-to-vulva contact. So, be safe and follow or know the BV status of your partner before getting intimate.

Besides, failing to treat this condition in time would increase your chances of getting sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea, HIV, and chlamydia. Worst is, it would increase the risk of early delivery for pregnant women.

  • Urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections are mostly caused by excess buildup of bacteria and fungi. Still, some may be results of viruses, though rare. They can affect the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra.

Women with UTI will not only experience itching, irritation, and painful sex, but the condition will also come with symptoms like:

  • Pelvic pain and burning sensation during urination
  • Cloudy or bloody urine
  • Pink, red, or urine that appear like coca-cola
  • An increased urge of urination
  • Smelly urine/urine with a bad odor

You may also experience upper urinary tract infections that may be life-threatening, especially those affecting the kidney, like urosepsis. Though not related to a burning sensation after sex, this condition may cause shock, low blood pressure, and death. So, watch out for the symptoms like chills, fever, vomiting, and nausea, and ensure you rush to the hospital for a checkup and treatment.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Pain and burning sensation are some of the symptoms associated with STIs. So, genital itching and sensation before and after sex may also side effects of STDs like chlamydia, herpes, trichomoniasis, and gonorrhea.

With these STDs, women may also notice several symptoms like

  • Swelling or itching of the affected part
  • Sores, blisters, bumps on or around the vagina
  • Yellow, green, gray, or unusual vaginal discharge
  • Pelvic pain or pain in the lower abdomen
  • Sometimes bleeding on the vagina during sex

Rush to the hospital for STD screening and testing when you notice any of the above signs and symptoms above. Early testing will help manage your condition and prevent further spread and complications. You must, however, remember that some STDs like herpes have no cure. Still, you'll be given some antibiotics to help manage and reduce the frequency of its symptoms.

Lack of arousal and insufficient lubrication

The vaginal has natural lubrication that ensures soft or smooth sex. But, if you're not properly aroused, you're in for painful intercourse, also known as dyspareunia, persistent pain during sex.

  • But why would you fail to get aroused?

Genital arousal problems involve several things like:

  • Having low sex hormone levels
  • Trauma or sexual abuse in the past
  • Stress, anxiety, and depression
  • Tiredness
  • Menopause
  • Inadequate blood flow to the sex organs
  • Problems and disagreements with your partner
  • Health/underlying health concerns like cancer, heart problems, and bladder issues
  • Effects of medications like those used to treat blood pressure, chemotherapy, and antidepressants

You may also fail to get aroused for reasons like lack of adequate foreplay or when you’re having trouble relaxing during sex.

If any of these factors affect your arousal, you won't get lubricated and ready for sex. So attempting to have sex in such conditions will only result in a lot of pain and discomfort, which then causes irritation and burning sensation in your vagina. And you’ll be feeling pain during and after sex.

Therefore, talk to your partner so that you can both work on your issues and ensure comfortable and entertaining sex that is less likely to result in pain and burning. You can as well try using sex lubricants or lubricated condoms.

Allergic reactions and skin irritations

You may also experience a burning sensation down there due to allergies caused by various factors like:

  • Reaction to products use during sex

You may experience irritation and feelings of burning due to sensitivity to various sexual products like lubes, lotions, latex condoms, and sex toys. Sensitivity to these products may lead to swelling, redness, and irritation, thus a painful or burning sex.  

You may also develop a reaction to some of the washing products like soaps you use for cleaning your vagina. Also, some fragranced or scented products containing dyes or perfumes can cause irritation and pain around your vagina.

Of course, it will be challenging to know what caused your reaction, especially when you combine many products. So, pay keen attention to every product you use and stop using the one you feel causes you irritation.

  • Reaction to semen

Semen allergy, also known as the human seminal plasma hypersensitivity (HSP), is a common reaction and irritation to the types of protein found in men's sperms. The condition affects up to 40000 women causing burning and irritation to the vagina.

Besides burning sensation, you may experience redness, hives, swelling, and genital itching. It would help if you also watched out for severe allergic complications like those of anaphylaxis symptoms that can lead to:

  • Breathing difficulties
  • Swollen throat or tongue
  • Weak or rapid pulse
  • Fainting and dizziness
  • Nausea and vomiting

Though they don’t relate to vaginal burning, these symptoms may complicate your life. So, it's better to look for a solution in time.

Rough sex and other sexual position

Having rough sex without lubrication increases the friction between the sexual organs, thus irritating and causing some heat and burning sensations. Also, some sexual positions would go deeper into the cervix, thus causing pain. The pain will even be worst in those women with cervicitis.

Wearing tight underwear

Wrong underwear, especially the tight ones, may irritate for the following reasons:

  • Rubbing and scratching of the underwear can cause friction making your genitals itchy
  • Very tight and unbreathable underwear can accumulate moisture around your vagina, resulting in small itchy rashes or bumps, which then cause a burning sensation.
  • Some females may also be allergic to the different materials used to make this underwear. The scent will irritate and make them start scratching their vagina.

So, be careful when washing your underwear, as some detergents will cause irritation and allergic reactions. You must also ensure you wear breathable and well-ventilated underwear.

Inadequate cleaning

Failing to properly wash your genitals after sex increases your risks of irritation and burning after sex. The chronic moisture caused by the release of semen, especially when no protection is used and the vaginal secretions, may lead to yeast infections. This irritates, and once you start scratching, you’re in for discomfort and burning.

Therefore, ensure to wipe out the excess semen or visit the bathroom after sex and properly clean up, then pat your vagina dry.

Vaginismus

There are situations when females' bodies will automatically react to fear of penetration. Therefore, vaginismus is the automatic reaction causing the muscles of the lower or third pelvic to spasm or constrict, thus resulting in pain, drying, and dryness during sexual intercourse.

The automatic constriction may happen even if you initially enjoyed sex. So, your vaginal and muscles will tighten on their own to prevent penetration. Once this happens, any attempt to penetrate will be hell and cause a lot of pain. It usually requires the intervention of a doctor or pelvic floor therapists.

Psychological or relationship factors

Some females will experience pain and discomfort just from hearing about sex. So, the anxiety or stress of thinking about the penetration can make them tense up thus feel pain during sex. This can also happen due to the anatomical differences where females are just shy of seeing the size of their male partners. The shape and size then irritate their skin, causing a burning sensation.

Interstitial cystitis 

This condition causes chronic inflammation of the bladder and pelvic muscle layers, thus making sex uncomfortable or painful during sex. The disease may mimic the symptoms of urinary tract infections.

You may also experience the following signs and symptoms:

  • Frequent urination or urgent need to urinate even after urination
  • Abdominal and pelvic pain or pressure
  • Accidental urine leakage or urine incontinence
  • Pain during sexual intercourse

It creates many discomforts that range from a mild genital sensation to persistent or sometimes infrequent severe pain.

Urethritis

Urethritis is the inflammation and irritation of the urethra, a tube carrying urine out of the body. The condition is caused by viruses or bacteria affecting the urethra. Sometimes, it may result from underlying STDs that cause a burning sensation.

Apart from a burning sensation, you may also experience:

  • Frequent urge of urination
  • Discomfort and pain during urination
  • Irritation, itching, and burning of the urethra opening
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • Pelvic pain

The condition is manageable with prescription antibiotics. So, visit your doctor when you notice any of the above symptoms.

Common causes of burning sensation in males

Men may also experience burning after sex for several reasons and complications; some are common to those affecting females. Here are some of the causes of genital itching and pain in men:

Urethritis

Caused by bacterial infections, urethritis leads to irritation and pain during urination. Men will also experience symptoms like:

  • Itching and burning around the penis opening
  • Penile discharge
  • Blood in semen or urine

Inadequate cleaning

You may also experience irritation when you don't wash out the remaining semen, especially for uncircumcised men. The chronic moisture under the foreskin will cause chaffing or irritation, resulting in scratching and a burning feeling.

The semen residues may also lead to yeast infections if not cleaned in time. So, go to the bathroom immediately after sex and clean or wash out any stuck semen particles.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

STDs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, warts, and herpes may cause a burning or tingling sensation around your penis, especially during and after sex.

Along with the burning sensation, you may experience:

  • Painful peeing or urination
  • Irritation and itching of the urethra tube
  • Sores, blisters, and spots around your anus and genitals
  • Tingling and rush around your penis
  • White dots or black powders in your underwear, especially if you have public lice

Visit your doctor or hospital for proper STD testing and screening if you experience any signs or when you suspect you have STDs.

Latex allergy

Males may also have some irritation and burning feelings from using condoms made of latex. To some men, latex condoms or lubricants cause discomfort and uncomfortable symptoms like itching, especially when they contact skin. It will make the skin around the genital red, itchy, and swollen after sexual activity.

The allergy can then trigger:

Contact dermatitis may increase the reaction, itching, redness, and irritation of 12-36 hours. This will make your skin appear scaly.

An immediate reaction, especially when you have become sensitive to latex in your previous experiences. So, coming into contact with it again trigger your immune system, which then responds in various ways, including coughing, sneezing, wheezing, runny nose, and watery eyes or itchy eyes.

Prevention and management of burning after sex

Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to prevent and even manage or reduce the risk and chances of burning sensation after sex.

To prevent the sensation:

  • Ensure to use non-latex condoms, especially if it causes irritation
  • Avoid douching or using cleaning or sensitive washing products

Also, consider:

Switching of changing the position to less hurting or those that reduce the burning effect, especially when there are no lubrications used

Use more lubrication; you can ever try using water-based lubricants to reduce the dryness and friction causing burning. Avoid the flavoring and the perfumes agents.

Share your conditions. Most people don’t feel comfortable sharing their sexual desires and status. For instance, talk about your sexual pain with your partner to help find what works for both of you. Also, ensure you know the sexual status of those you have sex with, and even better, ensure safe sex as it helps reduce your chances of getting STDs.

Conclusion

Genital itching and burning after sex are very common. It can result from various causes like STD infections, allergies, forced penetration, yeast infections, bacteria, and other viruses. To be safe from the itching or burning symptoms, ensure you identify the right cause of your condition and limit, reduce or do the opposite of the reason.

May
24
Date:   May 24th, 2022
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While there are several life-altering, sexually transmitted diseases, a blue waffle is not real! This disease only came about due to a lack of sexual health education.

May
20
Date:   May 20th, 2022
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Most of us will be worried when they give discolored urine from their normal pee. It will make you uncomfortable or leave you wondering what could be wrong with, or rather what causes it.

May
17
Date:   May 17th, 2022
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Often, people see yeast infections as more of a female health problem. However, it's also common in men because the fungi causing the infection are normally present in moist areas around the penis. But of course, having unprotected sex with a partner who has vaginal yeast infection would significantly contribute to an overgrowth of yeast in men.

May
13
Date:   May 13th, 2022
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Like other skin conditions, red spots may appear on your skin for various reasons like medical conditions, infection, and allergy or skin irritation. Some of the dots are harmless and would go away on their own, while others would be severe and need treatment.

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