Does Sex Hurt for Men? – 10+ Causes

Why Sex Could Hurt for Men

By Jerry Kennard
Updated on July 12, 2023
Medically reviewed by Jamin Brahmbhatt, MD

This article is a repost which originally appeared on verywell health

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Key Points

‧ There may be one or more causes to pain during sex for men.

‧ Refrain from sexual activity if you suspect you have an injury which needs attention.

‧ STIs can interfere with sexual performance and pleasure.

Pain during sex happens to both males and females, regardless of gender identity. When sex hurts, it can cause anxiety and affect sexual pleasure.

Sex can hurt for men for a variety of reasons, including sexually transmitted infections, foreskin problems, and being allergic to chemicals in birth control methods (such as latex condoms).

This article explores some common reasons sex can hurt for men. It also offers guidance for when to seek medical care.

For the purpose of this article, “male” refers to people born with penises, irrespective of whether they identify with one or more genders or no gender at all.

Why Does Sex Hurt for Males?

Some of the reasons sexual intercourse can hurt for men include:

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can cause pain during sex. Infections such as herpes and gonorrhea can cause burning and itching if left untreated. They can also cause sores, bumps, or blisters on the penis or anus.

If you think you may have been exposed to an STI, visit your healthcare provider or a clinic to get tested.

The sooner you know if you’re infected, the sooner you can get treatment. Early treatment can limit or prevent some effects of these infections.

Foreskin Problems

Uncircumcised men can develop tight foreskin, or phimosis. When you pull back the foreskin, or when your penis is erect, it can tear, bleed, get inflamed, or be painful.

This problem can usually be treated with an ointment. In some cases, adult circumcision can resolve the problem. Talk to your healthcare provider about your options.

Why Does Sex Hurt For Females?

In general, women are more prone to experience painful sex than men. Here are some of the reasons sex can hurt for females:

‧ Losing their virginity

‧ STIs

‧ Vaginismus

‧ Vulvodynia

‧ Endometriosis

‧ Uterine fibroids

‧ Ovarian cysts

‧ Cervical cancer

Curved Penis

Normal penises vary in length, girth, and shape from one person to the next. Sometimes, a curved penis can cause painful erections or make sex difficult.

Some penises curve because of conditions like hypospadias. That’s where the urethra opens away from the tip of the penis.

In some cases, a curve can develop over time. One cause of this is Peyronie’s disease, which causes scar tissue to form in the penis. Scars from previous traumas or infections can make sex painful, too.

Lesions and Growths

Sometimes a growth on the penis is what’s causing the pain. Some cancers cause growths. Cysts and lesions can also form on the penis or in the ducts and tubes that carry sperm.

If your prostate is enlarged, you may have pain when you ejaculate. It’s also possible that an infected pocket called an abscess can form on the penis.

Any of these growths can cause pain when you’re having sex or ejaculating.

Priapism

Most of the time, erections go away after sex. Sometimes a non-sexual erection lasts much longer than it normally would. This condition is called priapism, and it is often painful.

An Allergy

Some men have an allergic reaction to vaginal fluids or the chemicals in birth control methods. A medical professional can help you find out if you’re allergic to latex condoms or another substance.

Hypersensitivity

The penis can become very sensitive after orgasm and ejaculation. If you keep having sex after that point, it may be painful. This may mean you need to limit how many times you have sex with your partner on a given day or find other ways to experience pleasure together.

A rare condition called pudendal neuralgia affects a nerve in the pelvic region and may cause pain during sex as well.

Medications

Some antidepressants and muscle relaxers can cause pain when you ejaculate.4 It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider if you think a medication may be causing this kind of pain.

However, you should not stop taking your medication without discussing it with your healthcare provider first, because serious health problems can arise if you do.

Skin Disorders

Some skin conditions can lead to painful sex. These include:

‧ Zoon’s balanitis, an inflammation of the foreskin

‧ Erosive lichen planus, which causes an itchy rash or blisters

‧ Lichen sclerosus, which causes itchy white patches

‧ Genital psoriasis, an itchy inflammation of the skin

‧ Penile cancer

Other Causes of Painful Sex

Other possible reasons that a man or woman might find sex painful include:

‧ Sex positions: Some sexual positions are more uncomfortable than others. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including someone’s overall health, weight, flexibility. Some health conditions, such as back pain, can also make some positions painful. Work with your partner on finding the positions that are most comfortable for you. There are also other ways to enjoy sex that don’t involve intercourse.

‧ Lack of lubrication: Vaginal dryness can cause pain for a woman during sexual intercourse. This can also affect men and women during anal sex. Using a lubricant designed to be used during sex can help with this.

‧ Losing your virginity: Having sexual intercourse for the first time can be painful for women. Women are born with a hymen, thin, fleshy tissue that stretches across part of the opening of your vagina. When this tissue is penetrated, it may cause pain or bleeding. Men typically do not experience pain when they have sex for the first time.

‧ Postorgasmic illness syndrome: Postorgasmic illness syndrome (POIS) is a rare condition in which a person develops flu-like and allergy symptoms after orgasm. It is much more common in men than in women. Symptoms typically develop shortly after an orgasm, and can last for up to seven days before going away. It is not known what causes POIS.

When to See Your Healthcare Provider

It is important to see a healthcare provider if you are experiencing pain during sex so it can be treated as soon as possible.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking about it with your current provider, try to find a healthcare professional you can talk. The right diagnosis and treatment can improve your health and your sex life.

Summary

Pain during sex can be a sign that you have an STI, a skin disorder, an allergy, or another health condition. It could also be that the shape of your penis, a medication, a long-lasting erection, or post-orgasm sensitivity could be the reason.

Some conditions that cause this kind of pain can be serious. It’s vital that you seek medical care when sex hurts so that you can protect your own health and your partner’s.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Urology Care Foundation. What are sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or diseases (STDs)?

2. National Health Service. Tight foreskin (phimosis and paraphimosis). Updated July 26, 2018.

3. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. When sex is painful.

4. Waqar M, Omar K, Moubasher A, Brunckhorst O, Ahmed K. Painful ejaculation: An ignored symptom. Cureus. 2020;12(10):e11253. Published 2020 Oct 30. doi:10.7759/cureus.11253

5. Muneer A, Alnajjar HM, Ralph D. Recent advances in the management of priapism. F1000Res. 2018;7:37. doi:10.12688/f1000research.12828.1

6. Marfatia YS, Patel D, Menon DS, Naswa S. Genital contact allergy: A diagnosis missed. Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS. 2016;37(1):1-6.

7. Turley KR, Rowland DL. Evolving ideas about the male refractory period. BJU Int. 2013;112(4):442-52. doi:10.1111/bju.12011

8. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. Pudendal Neuralgia.

9. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Vulvovaginal health.

10. NIH. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. Postorgasmic illness syndrome.

 

Types of penises: Shape, size, circumcision, and more

What to know about types of penises

Medically reviewed by Joseph Brito III, MD — Written by Mathieu Rees on November 23, 2020

This article is a repost which originally appeared on MEDICAL NEWS TODAY

Edited for content

The penis is a male organ with functions that include reproduction and urination. As with any body part, no two people have the same penis.

The penis has two main features. The body, or shaft, connects the penis to the abdomen. At the opposite end of the shaft is the glans, or head.

This article lists some common types of penises, categorized primarily by measurement, and provides some related information.

Length

Penises come in different lengths when flaccid or erect.

Estimates about average penis length can vary. For example, one 2014 study looked at the penis size of United States males. It found that the average erect length was around 5.6 inches.

However, another article suggests there are issues with many penis length studies, including the fact that participants self-report measurements.

These studies use self-reported data and are therefore subject to bias, which likely fuels the widespread belief that the average penis size is closer to 6 inches. In reality, the average is likely to be lower

Girth

Penises also have different girths or circumferences.

A 2014 study into the penis size of U.S. males found that the average erect girth was around 4.8 inches.

However, as with penis length, a person should note that many penis girth studies use self-reported measurements, which are known to be fairly unreliable.

Curvature

Some penises are completely straight when erect. However, many have a bend or curvature. There are three main types of curved penis. These include penises that:

  • curve upwards from its base
  • curve downwards from its base
  • curve to the left or right

Additionally, some people may have multiple kinds of curvature. For instance, some penises may curve to the left and upwards.

Penile curvatures are common and typically benign. They are rarely painful and do not usually make penetrative sex more difficult.

However, abnormal penile curvature can sometimes be a symptom of Peyronie’s disease. One review lists the following as possible symptoms:

  • a thickened area, or plaque, in the penile shaft
  • curvature of the penis during erection
  • pain in the penis
  • erectile dysfunction

Scientists are not sure what causes Peyronie’s disease.

One common explanation is that the condition results from mild, recurring trauma to the penis. This can occur during intercourse or masturbation.

Peyronie’s disease can also be due to a rupture in the penis, known as a penile fracture. Genetic factors may also contribute to the development of this condition.

Anybody who suspects they may have Peyronie’s disease should seek medical advice. Sometimes, people with the condition who experience no other issues, such as pain, could still use their penis for sexual activity without needing medical treatment.

In some cases, doctors may recommend surgery to remove the plaque or reduce the curvature in the penis.

The base to head ratio

For some people, the circumference of the base of their penile shaft is the same as the circumference of their penile head.

For others, this ratio is different. Some may have a penile head with more girth than the base of their shaft, or vice versa.

Circumcised and uncircumcised

A person with a penis is born with a retractable layer of skin that covers the penile head, commonly referred to as the foreskin.

Many people around the world have their foreskin surgically removed, in a process known as male circumcision.

A trained person may carry out male circumcision on children and adults, often for cultural or religious reasons. Doctors can also perform them in medical treatments.

Circumcised penises do not have a foreskin, which means that the glans is always visible. Uncircumcised penises have a foreskin, which often covers the glans, especially when the penis is flaccid.

Some infants can be born without a foreskin, which is a condition called hypospadias. Here, the opening of the penis is not found at the tip. Surgery is usually required to correct this issue.

Uncircumcised men can also develop phimosis, where the foreskin cannot retract over the hood of the glans. This can lead to irritation and infection. People with the condition generally require medical circumcision.

Because circumcision is a surgical process, it can sometimes lead to health issues, including:

  • infection
  • necrosis of the penile head
  • cut to the penile head or urethra
  • penile loss

However, people should note that this procedure is very common. Infections following circumcision, one of the most common possible complications, affect just 0.5% of people.

Summary

Many internet sources misinform and perpetuate myths about penises. In reality, they are highly varied, just like other body parts.

Anyone who has concerns about their penis can seek medical advice from a trained professional.