Reasons Your Stomach Hurts After Sex And Why.

When you experience stomach pain after sex, you’re probably wondering what the is going on, and how to make it stop. Any kind of stomach discomfort is horrible, but it feels especially unfair when you’re doubled-over in pain after something that’s supposed to be, well, pleasurable.

Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., an ob-gyn at Yale New Haven Hospital, says that what you might think of as just “stomach pain” is actually “lower pelvic pain.” That’s because pain associated with sex tends to be “more towards the vagina rather than up at the abdomen,” but people can interpret it as pain in the abdominal cavity area. but WHY?

Sexual Position.

When patients see Minkin about pain after sex, she first asks them what position they do most. If you always have pain after missionary or doggy style, it could be because of the deep penetration

What you can do: First try over-the-counter pain medications, like Motrin or Tylenol. “Taking one or two an hour before sex can be very helpful for some women,” She also recommends trying a position where you’re on top, such as cowgirl or face-off, and seeing what happens.

The key is choosing a position where you have more “control over the depth and frequency of penetration,” explains Ja Hyun Shin, M.D., director of the pelvic pain clinic in the department of Women’s Health and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Montefiore Health System. She suggests trying a sideways position, like spooning, that allows for more shallow penetration.

ndometriosis.

Endometriosis happens “when the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus,” according to the Office on Women’s Health. Pelvic pain during and after sex is one of the most common symptoms of the condition, Shin says.

When you have a severe form of endometriosis of the pelvis, you can have dense adhesions in the pelvic area. “Deep penetration [during sex] can cause severe pain because all your organs are kind of adhered together,” she explains. But you can also have pain without these adhesions since endometriosis causes pain from inflammation.

What you can do: Go to your doctor. Even though you’re having stomach pain, your doc will probably ask you about your overall history with vaginal pain. Do you have pain with your periods? Are you bleeding heavily? She may then suggest an ultrasound or laparoscopy, a minor surgery to examine your pelvis. That’s the only way, Shin says, to diagnose endometriosis for sure. To treat it, your doc will likely prescribe you birth control pills or new endometriosis medications.