Pain during intercourse is never "normal" to be accepted in silence. Yet, this is what hundreds of thousands of women in France experience, on average, for seven years.
Endometriosis remains largely underdiagnosed, partly because pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia) is still too often minimized, including by the medical community.
A common disease, a late diagnosis
According to Inserm, endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of childbearing age. Despite this prevalence, the average time between the first symptoms and receiving care remains about 7 years in France, according to EndoFrance.
Approximately 56% of people with endometriosis report pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia), according to data compiled by the Biron health network. Yet, this symptom is rarely brought up spontaneously during consultations, even though it can help guide the diagnosis.
What this means in practical terms
There is a distinction between superficial dyspareunia (pain at the vaginal entrance) and deep dyspareunia (pain deep in the vagina, linked to endometriosis lesions or adhesions). The latter is the most common and the most characteristic of the disease. In both cases, it is neither "normal" nor to be minimized: it is a clinical signal in its own right.
Note the timing, intensity, and location of the pain (entrance or deep in the vagina, during or after intercourse): these details concretely help a gynecologist guide the diagnosis more quickly.
What can help in daily life, without replacing medical advice
Common misconceptions, once and for all
"A little pain during sex is normal for everyone"
No: recurrent pain during intercourse is never trivial and deserves to be discussed with a healthcare professional.
"Endometriosis is limited to painful periods"
No: dyspareunia is one of the most common symptoms, just like dysmenorrhea.
"A lubricant is enough to solve the problem"
No, it can reduce discomfort related to friction but does not treat the cause at all: only medical follow-up can do that.
Pain during intercourse is not a detail to be kept silent: it is valuable information for diagnosis, and a signal that deserves to be taken seriously.
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