Meghan Trainor Opens Up About Painful Sex and Being Diagnosed With Vaginismus

Feeling pain during or after sex is a far too common and overlooked issue for people with vulvas. And yet, for some reason, the topic remains stigmatized and rarely discussed in mainstream media — so much so that some people may think it's normal to experience pain during sex. (It's not.)

Recently, however, singer and songwriter Meghan Trainor opened up about this exact issue and shared her own experience with pain during sex.

On an episode of her podcast "Workin' on It," the Grammy winner shared that she endures "stingy" and "burny" pain while having sex with her husband, Daryl Sabara. "As he would penetrate, I would be like, 'Ow, ow, ow,'" later noting that she would have to ice herself after sex to relieve the discomfort.

The "All About That Bass" singer consulted a doctor about this and was diagnosed with vaginismus, a condition that causes pain during penetration. "I thought that every woman walking around was always in pain during and after sex. I was like, 'Doc, are you telling me that I could have sex and not feel a single bit of pain?'"

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Vaginismus is a type of sexual dysfunction that occurs when the vaginal muscles involuntarily contract or tense at the start of or during sex, and it can sometimes lead to involuntary muscle spasms, Rajal Patel, MD, a gynecologist and vulvovaginal specialist at Northwestern Medicine Center For Sexual Medicine and Menopause, previously told POPSUGAR.

But vaginismus does not only occur during sex; Dr. Patel noted that some people with vaginismus can also feel pain when inserting a tampon or receiving a pelvic exam at a pap smear. There's no one reason someone may have vaginismus, but it could be because of issues related to physical or sexual trauma, painful penetration in the past, the belief that sex is wrong or shameful, and more, Dr. Patel said.

Fortunately, vaginismus is treatable; however, since every person's experience is different, it can take some time to find the most effective way to alleviate pain for each individual. In Trainor's case, it's been a bit of trial and error. She shared that she's tried different sex positions to see which angles might work better than others, although she ultimately came to the conclusion that "each one is worse than the other." Especially in the cowgirl sex position, which she said is a "nightmare" and hurts "way worse."

Dr. Patel said pelvic physical therapy with a pelvic-floor therapist or vaginal-dilator therapy can help, but ultimately, it's best to consult a medical professional who specializes in sexual health so they can get to the root of why the pain is occurring.

Trainor said she's "determined to figure it out." But if you're experiencing pain during sex, you don't have to navigate the journey alone. The best thing you can do to advocate for yourself is to speak with a sexual health specialist about your symptoms and treatment options. Because unless you're having consensual rough sex, no sex should ever feel painful.