Clitoral Pain 101: Don’t Push or Touch the Magic Button Just Yet!

Disclaimer: This blog about clitoral pain is aimed to be a source of valuable information for the reader; however, it is not a substitute for direct expert assistance. For specific cases, please seek help from your healthcare provider. 

Vulva owners know that the clitoris holds so much power, especially during sex. But when it starts to ache and get all sore, raw, and painful, it can affect their everyday life. Hence, your usual routine gets all messy and you struggle to find your flow.

If this is something you’re experiencing, this guide is ready to help you out.

We’ll be discussing what exactly clitoral pain is, how it feels, what causes it, and when to see a doctor for deeper observation and treatment. Don’t let this condition take advantage of you!

What is Clitoral Pain?

Healthline describes clitoral pain as this “painful sensation you feel on your clitoris.” But commonly so, the pain can extend to the pelvic or genital areas of your body.

It also goes by the medical term, clitorodynia, when a doctor diagnoses a patient experiencing this pain. Speaking of which, the pangs of pain can be consistent or come and go when you least expect. Moreover, this condition is mild to moderate, rarely becoming severe. It’s also treatable and can occur due to various reasons, which we’ll discuss later on.

Regardless, the pain can really disrupt the flow of your day-to-day life.

How Does Clitoral Pain Feel?

Some adjectives that are commonly used to describe clitoral pain include:

1. Itchy
2. Stabbing/Shooting
3. Raw
4. Throbbing
5. Irritating
6. Burning
7. Uncomfortable

Causes of Clitoral Pain

Uncover the various ways one can experience clitoral pain down below.

1 Keratin Pearls

Vulvodynia.com defines this condition as the build-up of sand-like substances between your clitoris and clitoral hood (prepuce). As a result, there’s a lot of unwarranted irritation and friction.

2 Skin Irritation

The clitoris has a lot of nerve endings, making it really sensitive. Even more so when aroused. Hence, using scented items like lotions, feminine washes, and soaps can affect the clitoris. The same goes for wearing the wrong type of clothes, which may be too tight or made of chafing fabric like leather and denim.

Allergic reactions to certain items, from food to chemicals, can also hurt your clit and cause it a lot of pain.

3 Injury or Trauma

Having rough sex with your partner can result in vulvar injury, which can include your clitoris. But such pain can also occur in a case of sexual abuse, which can be long-lasting and surpasses the physical, affecting your mental health as well.

Aside from the sexual aspect, there are non-sexual ways that lead to clitoral injury and pain. It can be through sports and exercises like cycling and running or sitting down for long periods of time.

4 Previous Surgery

If you had surgery around your pelvic to vulva area, it’s possible to experience clitoral pain. May it be through the recovery phase or at random periods of the day, it can shoot through you without warning.

5 Skin Conditions

Healthline shared two possible skin conditions that can cause clitoral pain. The first is Clitoral Adhesions, which are these small skin build-ups that develop all over your clit. They can painfully rub against your clitoris. Then the second is Lichen Sclerosus, which impacts your vaginal entrance with bleeding, tearing, and more not-so-pretty effects and brings pain all over the vulva.

6 Nerve Compression

When the nerves of your clitoris get pulled or pressed tensely together, it can create pain. As a result, you feel uncomfortable no matter what you’re doing.

7 Infections

There are a lot of infections that can cause clitoral pain, which include:

1. Sexually Transmitted Infections
2. Yeast Infections
3. Urinary Tract Infections
4. Bacterial Vaginosis

8 Childbirth

More specifically, when you deliver vaginally. During that process, there’s that possibility of tearing when the baby is too big. As a result, those tears can affect the clitoris and the overall vulva area. 

9 Vagina-related concerns

Two major conditions can occur to your vulva: Vulvodynia and Vaginal Cancer. Vulvodynia is pain and itching all over your vagina, while vaginal cancer is rare yet affects the vagina heavily.

In turn, they potentially affect your clitoris.

10 Underlying Conditions

Being pre-diagnosed with a chronic condition (specifically in your central nervous system) makes you more prone to more health problems, including clitoral pain. One is diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and even kidney failure.

How Can Clitoral Pain Affect Your Daily Life?

Clitoral pain can definitely create more obstacles as you go along with your day. For one, wearing clothes, especially pants and underwear, becomes more challenging. If you wear tightly fit ones and are made of not-so-soft fabric, the friction and rubbing can irritate the clit even more. As a result, you’d prefer to be naked from the chest down when you can. 

Engaging in certain exercises like running or cycling also feels impossible without taking lengthy breaks that you just end up giving up. On the top of body movement, having sex with your partner or by yourself with some sex toys becomes harder, knowing that your clitoris plays a big role in making you feel good.

When to See a Doctor

It’s best to see a doctor as soon as you feel some pain in your clitoris since it’s not something you usually experience and it becomes a burden to have with you.

By consulting and seeing a professional, they can diagnose you by gathering information about you. From the pain itself and any accompanying symptoms to your sexual and overall medical history, they’ll have a clearer idea of where the clitoral pain stemmed from. 

They can also do a physical exam, checking on your vulva and vaginal area. If they see any rash or color changes around the skin of your clitoris, that’s enough to diagnose you. Moreover, they may swab some vaginal fluid for further testing, specifically for infections, and ask you for a blood test.

Treatment Options for Clitoral Pain

The right treatment for clitoral pain solely depends on the cause. Cleveland Clinic highlighted the following treatment options for clitoral pain to be:

1. Antibiotics: For infections
2. Anticonvulsants: For nerve-related pain
3. Cold compress post-sex
4. Physical therapy: For your pelvic muscles
5. Antidepressants: Also for nerve-related pain
6. Antifungals: For yeast infections and specific rashes
7. Pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen
8. Sex therapy and counseling

Lifestyle Changes to Improve Clitoral Pain

If you want to adjust your day-to-day life to avoid any sort of clitoral pain, keep reading this section to find out more.

1 Avoid tight clothing.

Tight clothing is equivalent to friction and discomfort, especially when it comes in contact with your aching clitoris. Hence, it’s best to stray away from them and resort to clothes made of soft, hypoallergenic fabrics. One great example is cotton, which is breathable and unscented. Moreover, it promotes comfort and less chafing. Having cotton underwear, pajamas, and any type of clothing you wear often could lessen the chances of skin and body irritation, even more so on your clitoris.

2 Be more careful when having sex.

Aside from using protection, the pace at which you do the deed can heavily impact your body afterwards. So if you commit to rough sex, you can get exhausted and even be more prone to injuries. On the other end, having gentler, more careful sex allows you to enjoy the moment more and be more conscious of your body. That way, you stay away from hazards and not go extreme while having sex. 

At the same time, don’t skip on the foreplay! The build-up is crucial to prepare your bodies for the deed, even more so when the clitoris plays an important role here.

Using water-based lube can also make sex smoother and more comfortable for the parties involved.

3 Use unscented products.

Unscented products are free from irritants and allergens, which reduces your chances of getting clitoral pain. With this in mind, I advise purchasing unscented soaps, period products (ex., pads and tampons), wipes, and any other items that care for your overall vulva. Additionally, using feminine wash is unnecessary.

In line with this, it’s also important to clean the external aspect and not go inside since the vagina is a self-cleansing organ!

4 Make more room for relaxation.

Stress is the source of a lot of problems, and clitoral pain is no exception. Resolving tension means promoting more relaxation in your day, and not just by pampering yourself. For example, try to move at a slower and patient pace rather than rushing everything if possible. 

5 Engage in less pressuring tasks and activities.

Clitoral pain can derive from applying too much pressure on your pelvis and genitalia area with or without noticing it. One way to avoid that is to occasionally stand up if you’re working at a desk to relax and stretch out the muscles of your lower body.

Takeaway

Clitoral pain can happen for many reasons, yet it brings so much discomfort and disturbance at varying levels into our daily lives. But luckily, it’s treatable and can be diagnosed upon consulting with a medical professional, who can also provide us with more personalized advice. Moreover, it also teaches us to be more cautious of how we treat our bodies from the inside out. So in turn, let’s be more aware and gentle towards the clitoris for long-lasting good health down there!

For more health-related guides, you may head on over to the Lauvblog right here.