Female sexual pain disorders, although highly prevalent and increasingly studied, remain a distressing complaint for women and their partners. Empirical evidence points to a multifactorial conceptualization of the etiology, course, and associated difficulties of sexual pain; thus, treatment options span the medical, pelvic floor rehabilitation psychological and multimodal. Given the interpersonal context in which sexual pain occurs, recent work has underscored the importance of considering the dyadic framework in research and treatment. This review presents understanding from across disciplines focusing on the impact of sexual pain on the woman and the couple, proposed etiologic pathways and risk factors related to its development and course, and current treatment options. Recommendations for research point to an urgency for multidisciplinary exchanges in the development of conceptual models and refinement of targeted interventions.

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Female genital pain is a prevalent condition that can disrupt the psychosexual and relational well-being of affected women and their romantic partners. Despite the intimate context in which the pain can be elicited (i.e., during sexual intercourse), interpersonal correlates of genital pain and sexuality have not been widely studied in comparison to other psychosocial factors. This review describes several prevailing theoretical models explaining the role of the partner in female genital pain: the operant learning model, cognitive-behavioural and communal coping models, and intimacy models. Empirical research on the interpersonal and partner correlates of female genital pain and the impact of genital pain on partners' psychosexual adjustment are reviewed. Together, this research highlights a potential reciprocal interaction between both partners' experiences of female genital pain. Future theoretical, methodological, and clinical research directions are discussed, which may enhance understanding of the highly interpersonal context of female genital pain.

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