Painful intercourse can occur for reasons that range from structural problems to psychological concerns. Symptoms can include pain only at sexual entry (penetration), pain with every penetration, including putting in a tampon, deep pain during thrusting, burning pain, aching pain, or throbbing pain, lasting hours after intercourse.

Some treatments for painful sex do not require procedures or medication for treatment while others do. For cases of sexual pain in which there is no underlying medical cause, sex or mental health therapy might be helpful. Treatments should focus on the cause, and can help eliminate or lessen this common problem.