A common sex injury women might not know about

There’s a sex injury that’s common, painful – but poorly understood. 

 A bruised cervix can occur during vigorous sex, or sex with a well-endowed partner when a woman is not sufficiently aroused through foreplay.  

Cervical bruising is painful, can lead to bleeding, and can make later intercourse painful and unpleasant. It can also lead to other problems, like vaginismus, an involuntary muscle spasm that closes the vagina prior to penetration.

The cervix is the channel between the vagina and the uterus. Signs it maybe bruised include feeling unusually sensitive for a few days after sex, or experiencing cramping. In rare cases, there may be bleeding. 

Cervical bruising in sex is most likely caused by a penis too large for the vaginal canal, bumping repeatedly against the cervix wall and causing some superficial damage.

Know your body 

Thankfully, bruising does not lead to long-term damage. But it is painful, and there are steps you can take to make this experience less likely.

The cervix grows when aroused, similar to a penis, and it also softens. 

This reduces the potential for damage. If a woman isn’t aroused, her cervix remains small and hard: the average cervix when not aroused is between 3 and 4 inches, which is significantly smaller than the average penis.

Foreplay therefore is important. Nicole Lane at Ravishly writes that 20 to 30 minutes is a good period for foreplay in order to help avoid cervical bruising – as well as having fun, of course.

Foreplay also triggers natural lubricants, which make sex easier and less likely to cause pain and bruising.

Doctor Catherine Hansen, an obstrtrician and educator, notes that different women have different bodies, and this will contribute to their chance of bruising. 

The cervix may, for instance, lie closer to the vagina in some women more than others, and therefore is more likely to be hit during sex.

Experiment with positions 

Hansen recommends experimenting with positions to find the one that feels the best. 

‘[You should] re-position, or stop, if there is pelvic pressure or pain during sex so that any ongoing pain would be completely avoided,’ she says.

You might also want to try things other than penetrative sex. Lane writes: ‘Sex doesn’t have to involve PIV intercourse for hetero couples: handwork, oral, foreplay, and anal are all other amazing ways to achieve an orgasm.’

‘[You should] re-position, or stop, if there is pelvic pressure or pain during sex so that any ongoing pain would be completely avoided,’ says Hasen, an OBGYN

Cervical bruising will heal of its own accord, from a few days up to a week after intercourse. 

If pain persists after that time, it’s important to visit a doctor.

‘Ibuprofen 400-800mg can help with the cramping. For women who anticipate that they will have pain, they can take the ibuprofen dose prior to intercourse (approximately 30 minutes prior to sex would be best),’ says Dr Hansen.

‘Any pelvic pressure or pain that results from cervical ‘trauma’ (tapping or touching the cervix during sex) is temporary and should be resolved with a couple of hours (max 24 hours),’ she says.