People have sex for a lot of reasons: love, commitment, gratitude, pleasure, revenge, sexual curiosity, stress relief, and attraction to a person. Sex is a completely normal activity for both humans and animals, just as food cures hunger, water for thirst, sexual intercourse for sexual arousal. On average, most people have sex at least twice a week. Sex is a functional part of most romantic relationships and marriages. According to a survey, 20 percent of single men and women have sex multiple times a week, 40 percent are in committed relationships and 42 percent married couples.
Sex is an important and healthy physical exercise, beneficial to our mental and physical wellbeing. It helps to keep our estrogen and testosterone level in balance. Too much or too little of either of the two could cause problems like osteoporosis and even heart disease. Like other physical exercises, sex helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and improve our mood.
While sex is considered a healthy exercise, it comes with certain risks physically and mentally. The risks commonly known to most people are sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) like gonorrhea, herpes, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and human papillomavirus (HPV). There are other risks linked with having sex, though more physical but less deadly than sexually transmitted diseases, some injuries often occur during sexual intercourse. Some common symptoms of these injuries are:
- Broken penis (bent penis, fractured penis)
- Feeling a burning sensation in your genitalia (vaginal area for male, penis for women)
- Difficulty urinating and signs of blood in the urine. Although these are also signs of sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea
- Tears in the lower part of the vagina and posterior couchette (also occurs during childbirth)
- Finger scars and cut marks on some part of the body
- Sudden loss of erection and low sexual arousal
- Leakage from a larger blood vessel close to the vagina (vagina hematoma)
- Backache and fractured body parts in some cases
CAUSES OF SEXUAL INJURIES
These sexual injuries stem from a lot of factors, most of which are self-induced. Some causes are:
- Having rough sexual intercourse under the intoxication of alcohol or after ingesting loads of hard drugs also influences rough sexual behaviors that could cause sexual injuries
- Having sex in unsafe positions like vertical and diagonal positions especially with the use of sex swings
- Violent thrusting of the penis in the vagina when fully erect could cause penis fracture and bend
- Using steroids or other sex enhancement drugs also influences violent sexual acts and dangerous foreplay like scratching and biting
- An unfamiliar and unsafe environment for sex can cause sexual injuries and also death in some cases e.g. having sex in the toilet or the woods.
- Having sex with multiple partners at the same time
- Use of sex toys like artificial penis and vagina. Some sex gadgets contain toxic chemicals that can break off when they come in contact with your genitalia
- Vaginal tears sometimes occur when the vagina is not lubricated enough
- Sexual assault (rape) can cause vaginal and anal tears, also causes vagina trauma and soreness.
Sex is very good for our health in general and can also be a one-way ticket to the grave. It is very important to ensure a safe environment when having sex and also abstain from sexual acts that could cause long or short-term body harm. Some of these sexual acts often stem from wanting to explore one’s sexuality or try new things. Ways you can employ to treat these sexual injuries include:
VAGINAL THERAPY
In some mild cases, vaginal cuts will self-heal, but in severe cases, it is important to see a doctor immediately. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) are usually prescribed to reduce the pain. The application of antibiotics on the surface of the wound or sore spots can also make it heal faster.
SURGERY
Surgery is usually needed in cases where the male penis is fractured or bent from sexual intercourse. Surgical treatment involves using stitches to close tears in corpus covernosum and tunica albuginea. Patients are required to wear a plastic cast on their genital area for several weeks, to protect it in case of impact until the wound and operated areas fully heal up.
USE OF DOCTOR PRESCRIBED ANTIBIOTICS
There are more than 1.5 million cases of urinary tract infections per year. (UTIs) affects the kidney, bladder, or urethra. It is not a sexually transmitted disease and is treatable by a medical professional and also self-diagnosable. Some common symptoms include difficulty passing out urine, burning sensation in the bladder, and persistent urge to urinate. Treatment involves the use of doctor-prescribed antibiotics and penicillin.
Yeast infection just like urinary tract infections is also treatable medically and can be prevented by frequent hydration and urination. Some common home remedies for urinary tract infections are coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, boric acid, and garlic.
Practice safe sex on a soft surface like a bed and couch and limit frequent vertical sex as this is very likely to result in a fractured penis. Urinating after sexual intercourse can also help to prevent urinary tract infections. See a doctor when you notice some symptoms of sex injury as they might also be symptoms of much worse health issues.
