Painful sex is caused by these things:vaginal dryness from menopause, childbirth, breastfeeding, medications, or too little arousal before intercourseskin disorders that cause ulcers, cracks, itching, or burninginfections, such as yeast or urinary tract infections (UTIs)injury or trauma from childbirth, an accident, an episiotomy, a hysterectomy, or pelvic surgeryvulvodynia, or pain centered in the vulva areavaginitis, or inflammation of the vaginavaginismus, or a spontaneous tightening of the muscles of the vaginal wallendometriosiscystitispelvic inflammatory disease (PID)uterine fibroidsirritable bowel syndrome (IBS)radiation and chemotherapy