Partners' Responses Can Affect Women's Experiences of Sexual Pain
The cognitions of a woman's male partner may affect the intensity of her entry dyspareunia pain, a recent study has shown.
A woman may have increased pain if her partner catastrophizes more and has lower levels of partner-perceived self-efficacy.
Entry dyspareunia is painful intercourse that starts with penetration. It is estimated to affect 21% of women.
A group of Canadian researchers worked with 179 heterosexual couples in which the woman had entry dyspareunia. The mean age of the women was 31 years. For men, it was 33 years.
The women completed a variety of assessment tools designed to evaluate pain intensity, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, catastrophizing, and self-efficacy. Men's catastrophizing and views on his female partner's self-efficacy were also assessed.
After controlling for the woman's catastrophizing and self-efficacy, the researchers found that the women's pain was less intense when their partners had higher levels of partner-perceived self-efficacy and lower levels of catastrophizing.
It's possible that a man's catastrophizing may increase a woman's pain by making her more aware of it.
The authors noted the importance of the couple's relationship when treating women with entry dyspareunia.
“Explaining to the couple how they both have a role to play in the experience of entry dyspareunia pain may serve to increase partner implication in treatment, diminish the identified patient’s feelings of guilt, and help in motivation toward change,” they wrote.
The study was published online in June in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Please click here for more details.
Don't Miss These Upcoming Events in Sexual Medicine
Thinking about attending a sexual medicine conference before the year is over? There are several to choose from, including the following:
XII Latin American Society Of Sexual Medicine Congress (SLAMS)
Aug 28, 2013 - Aug 31, 2013
Cancun, Mexico
33rd Congress of the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU)
Sep 8, 2013 - Sep 12, 2013
Vancouver Convention Centre, Canada
21st Congress Of The World Association For Sexual Health (WAS)
Sep 21, 2013 - Sep 24, 2013
Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil
2nd Biennial Meeting Of The Middle East Society For Sexual Medicine (MESSM)
Oct 31, 2013 - Nov 2, 2013
Park Hyatt Dubai, Dubai - UAE
Fall Meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA)
Nov 21, 2013 - Nov 24, 2013
New Orleans, USA
A complete list of upcoming events from now until October 2014 can be found here.
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