Most women who are sexually active with a partner at some point in their life may experience a sharp pain during intercourse. This sensation, unfortunately is a common experience. This pain typically occurs for one of several reasons.

First, during intercourse, small amounts of air could be getting trapped within the vaginal canal, causing sharp sensations of pain.

Another common cause of the sharp pain is when a woman is not sexually stimulated enough. Often this experience occurs in long term relationships, where couples are more likely to get into the pattern of having penal-vaginal intercourse without the same degree of foreplay as before during the initial courtship (lasting 3 months to 2 years). Often in long-term relationships the idea that penal-vaginal intercourse will occur at some point in the night is assumed, and as a result minimal time is spent building up to that moment.

A third common reason women may be experience a sharp pain during intercourse occurs when the penis is hitting up against her cervix.

Another cause for this sensation is that the woman is simply tender from recently engaging in a lot of intercourse. Sometimes, women can get 'raw' on the inside of their vaginal walls.

Fifth, a sharp pain during intercourse could indicate something slightly more serious such as endometriosis. Endometriosis is a fancy way of saying that the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, such as in the fallopian tubes, on the ovaries, or even in the intestines, which can cause other types of pain and symptoms.

Sixth, the woman could be suffering from PID, and lastly, it is possible that the woman pulled her pelvic sling muscle.

In any event, given the array of different possible causes of painful intercourse, it is highly recommended that the woman make a doctor’s appointment. A gynecologist will be able to properly diagnoses, and thus treat the problem appropriately.