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Question:
I am a 23 year old female. I've been in a sexual
relationship with my boyfriend for a little over 2 years.
I have 2 questions, but they are kind of inter-related.
Last April (it's January now) I went to see my doctor for
my yearly well-woman exam/pap, etc. I was also
experiencing a slight discomfort/tenderness during
intercourse. She ordered an ultrasound after performing
an internal exam. (She thought maybe I had a cyst).
The ultrasound did not reveal anything -- no cyst. The
pap was negative. I've continued to have this
discomfort. It is always a tenderness in my left side. I
only notice it when we have intercourse, and only in
certain positions (the ones with deeper penetration).
It also seems to occur around the time of my period,
and it's not noticeable at other times. This in turn has
affected our sex life because I have to stick to certain
positions to avoid the discomfort. This has
unfortunately made our sex life somewhat routine,
especially since we can usually only meet once a week
(we are full-time students living away from one
another). So between 25% and 33% of the times we
make love, I'm in that uncomfortable time of the
month. What could be wrong with me? Should I get
further testing? Could it be related to my using birth
control pills? I've been on the same prescription for 4
years and take it regularly.
If you do not publish this, could you reply to this email,
or refer me to someone who could answer my
questions? I obviously need a second opinion because
my doctor told me there was nothing wrong.
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Answer:
by Annette Owens: (05/13/2004)
I do not think that your pain is related to taking birth
control pills. It is encouraging that the ultrasound in
April and your physical exam at that time was negative.
However, I think it would be a good idea to go to a
different gynecologist in order to get a second
opinion. Let that doctor know about everything that
has already been done. Did the previous
ultrasound include your ovaries? This is another area
than just the uterus to focus on during palpation and
ultrasound, and your left ovary could be the focus of
the pain. It may just be a simple cyst.
When did the pain start? Were you able to have
intercourse without this pain previously? This is
important information for the doctor doing another
exam.
Good luck and best wishes,
Annette Owens, MD PhDReviewed by: Mitchell Tepper Ph.D.,
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