Pain Experienced During Vaginal and Anal Intercourse with Other-Sex Partners: Findings from a Nationally Representative Probability Study in the United States

Abstract

Introduction Recent U.S. nationally representative data indicate that about 30% of women and 5% of men reported pain occurring during their most recent sexual event; however, little is known about the severity, duration, or context of such pain, or its prevalence during vaginal vs. anal intercourse. Aims To document the prevalence and characteristics of pain during vaginal and anal intercourse among U.S. women and men (ages 18+) at their most recent other-sex sexual event, including the self-reported severity, duration, and location of their pain; how participants addressed their pain; and partner communication related to the pain. Methods Data from a subsample of 1,738 women and men in the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health Behavior, a nationally representative probability survey of Americans ages 18+ collected via the Internet, were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures Participants responded to items about their background characteristics; whether they had vaginal or anal intercourse during their most recent sexual experience; the severity, duration, and location of any pain experienced during said sexual event; and whether they responded to or communicated about the pain. Results About 30% of women and 7% of men reported pain during vaginal intercourse events, and most of the reports of pain were mild and of short duration. About 72% of women and 15% of men reported pain during anal intercourse events, with more of these events including moderate or severe pain (for the women) and of mixed duration. Large proportions of Americans do not tell their partner when sex hurts. Conclusion Pain is a relatively common, and often not discussed, aspect of both vaginal and anal intercourse events occurring between women and men. Individual and clinical implications are discussed.

Feeling Scared During Sex: Findings From a U.S. Probability Sample of Women and Men Ages 14 to 60

“…Our findings add to a body of literature that, as described earlier, demonstrates a privileging of men's sexual pleasure, with women more often reporting lower levels of sexual pleasure and arousal, less frequent orgasm (Herbenick et al, 2010b), more frequent pain (Herbenick et al, 2015) and, described here, more common experiences of frightening sex. Indeed, scholars have long described how women's economic and political insubordination impacts their sexual lives and opportunities (e.g., Tiefer, 2001), making them vulnerable to sex that feels scary, painful, or beyond one's ability to control or consent to (e.g., Bay-Cheng, 2010;Gavey, 2012;Tiefer, 2001).…”

Promoting safer sex in the context of heterosexual anal intercourse: A scoping review

“…Marston and Lewis (2014) noted participants’ normalisation of coercive, painful and unsafe sex in relation to HSAI and stressed the ‘need for harm reduction activities that included discussion about consent and mutuality’ (p.6). Herbenick et al (2015) explored the issue of pain during HSAI and noted the prevalence of pain was high in women (reported in 72% women and 15% of men) and yet most participants did not communicate their experience of pain with their partners. Benson et al (2019) reported personal pleasure as a reason for women engaging in AI but also noted a resistance to disclose AI history due to perceived negative societal opinion about this practice.…”

Differences in Mental Health and Sexual Outcomes Based on Type of Nonconsensual Sexual Penetration

“…One potential explanation may be related to the finding that nearly half of women who engage in consensual anal sex report negative experiences (Rogala & Tydén, 2003). In a recent nationally representative sample, it was found that 72% of women reported pain during anal sex (Herbenick, Schick, Sanders, Reece, & Fortenberry, 2015). If consensual anal sex is regarded as a negative experience for many women (although certainly not the case for many consenting women), it is not surprising that anal rape is associated with more negative outcomes than other nonconsensual penetration experiences.…”