Pains and burnings

Dear Doctor,
I am a woman of 27 years. The last year i have been sexually active. Every time my boyfriend and i have sexual intercourse i get sore in the vagina. I have pains and burnings, i get so sore that i can not stay sit. And i can not be sexualty active for a week later. Why does this happen? Is it from having the penetration for a long time? Any suggestions to make the sexual intercourse pleasurable even for me, as i am in my first months of being sexually active? We use to have long sexual intercourse, and during penetration i feel the sensation of pain, burning in the entrance of the vagina and the perineum.
Any suggestions are very much appreciated.
Thank you for your time and help.
S.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

HI!
The first thing I would tell a patient of mine to try is a very good lubricant--Replens is a good brand.  I would also tell her to make sure that there is plenty of foreplay so that she is "ready" when intercourse begins.  Sometimes if the woman is not fully aroused, there is not enough lubrication, and sex may feel like sand paper.  Some women even have bleeding.  If that didn't help, I might try an estrogen  or progesterone supplement.
I have also seen this problem associated with long term use of birth control pills, so I would tell her to stop those, if she was using them.

Hope this helps!
Dr B