The clinical anatomy of dyspareunia: A review

Abstract

Dyspareunia can be described as continuous unremitting or intermittent pain associated with intercourse. It can be classified based on the location of the pain - entry or deep dyspareunia, or based on when the pain was first experienced - primary or secondary dyspareunia. There are different causes of dyspareunia and some of the most important causes include the following: vulvodynia, postpartum dyspareunia, endometriosis, inadequate vaginal lubrication or arousal, and other anogenital causes such as hemorrhoids and anal fissures. In this review, our objective is to apply the anatomical knowledge of dyspareunia to patient care, increase awareness among clinicians about the diverse etiology of dyspareunia and ensure that the whole patient, not just the pain of dyspareunia is being treated as the causes of dyspareunia can be due to various pathologies. Clin. Anat., 31:1013-1017, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: anatomy; coital pain; deep dyspareunia; dyspareunia; entry dyspareunia; vulvodynia.