Dsypareunia is a condition that affects several women across at some point in their lives. In layman’s language, dyspareunia is painful sexual intercourse. Women often dismiss this condition as they believe sexual intercourse is always painful, and perform the act despite the excruciating pain they experience. Dyspareunia occurs for several reasons that range from structural problems to psychological ones. This condition is characterized by persistent or recurrent pain in the genital area, and it can occur before, during, or after a sexual intercourse.

The symptoms of dyspareunia are as follows:

• Pain experienced during penetration
• Burning pain or aching pain
• Throbbing pain that lasts hours after intercourse
• Pain experienced with each penetration
• Pain experienced while putting in a tampon

Women often trivialize this condition as they believe that it is normal to experience pain during intercourse. However, if the pain becomes unbearable there’s an FDA-approved medication that can help in relieving the pain experienced during an intercourse. The Intrarosa®  is an FDA-approved medicine that can treat moderate to severe pain experienced because of dyspareunia. Dyspareunia is often caused by the thinning and drying of the vaginal tissue.

Intrarosa®  is a synthetic version of a steroid called prasterone or dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) that is naturally produced by the adrenal glands. This steroid is considered to be the “precursor hormone” that remains inactive until it comes in contact with vaginal or other cells, and eventually stimulates the production of estrogen and testosterone. When this steroid interacts with the vaginal cells to produce estrogen, it improves the elasticity and pH levels in the vaginal tissues, making sexual intercourse less painful.

Intrarosa® is available in the form a suppository that is inserted into the vagina once daily at bedtime, and it dissolves overnight. The 12-week placebo-controlled clinical trials involving 406 women between the age of 40 and 80, who experienced dyspareunia, yielded desirable results as these women reported a reduced severity in the pain experienced during an intercourse.

Intrarosa® is considered to be a great breakthrough for treating patients with dyspareunia as the other alternative treatments involved performing desensitization therapy or opting for counseling or sex therapy, which didn’t always work for them. However, it is essential to consult with a licensed medical practitioner before using Intrarosa®.