A medical condition characterized by pain or discomfort during or after sexual intercourse.
From Greek 'dys-' (bad, abnormal) + 'pareunos' (bedfellow, from 'para-' beside + 'eunē' bed). This medical term has been used since the 19th century to describe sexual pain disorders.
This condition affects millions worldwide and can have physical causes (like infections or injuries) or psychological causes (like anxiety), so doctors treat it by figuring out which type is happening!
Medical term for painful intercourse, historically defined by male pleasure as the norm. Clinical focus on 'female' dyspareunia reflected assumptions that penetration is obligatory, dismissing pain and normalizing non-consensual penetration.
Use clinically while recognizing dyspareunia affects people of all genders. Validate pain as a legitimate health concern and include discussion of consent and pleasure equity.
["painful intercourse","coital pain"]
Sex-positive feminism and somatic practitioners have reframed dyspareunia care around consent, pleasure, and body autonomy rather than obligatory penetration.
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