Vaginal Tears After Sex

Vaginal Tears After Sex

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Ⓒ 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved

Verywell Health is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

Peter Weiss, MD, is a board-certified OB/GYN and expert in women's health.

Vaginal cuts are injuries of the vaginal tissues, including the vagina or the vulva , which is the external genitals. Severe vaginal tears (called lacerations) are often caused by childbirth; some may need stitches. But smaller vaginal cuts, sometimes referred to as micro-cuts, are very common and usually heal on their own.

This article covers the most common causes of vaginal cuts, how they are treated, and when you should see your healthcare provider.

Cuts or splits to the external genitalia are sometimes visible to the naked eye. But smaller injuries, especially those to the internal vaginal tissue, may not be obvious. Symptoms of vaginal cuts may include:

If you think you have a vaginal cut, do a self-exam and keep an eye on the area to see if the injury gets worse or may be infected.

Most vaginal cuts should heal on their own in a few days. However, some may need medical care. For example, a tear in the V-shaped fold of skin at the bottom of the entrance to the vagina (posterior fourchette fissure) can develop into a deeper tear. It requires prompt medical attention. 1

If you have a vaginal injury, consult your healthcare provider if you experience:

Talk to your healthcare provider right away if you have large, deep, or numerous vaginal cuts, or if you think you have an infection. Signs of an infection may include foul-smelling discharge, fever, and pain that doesn't improve with medication. 3

Anyone who has been sexually assaulted , raped, or sexually abused should seek emergency medical attention immediately. Any time an unexplained vaginal tear or cut is found in a child or infant, adult caregivers should consult with a healthcare provider right away.

Vaginal cuts can occur from a wide range of underlying causes, but the most common cause of vaginal cuts is having sex, usually without proper lubrication. 4

Shaving and waxing pubic hair are other common causes of vaginal cuts. In fact, a 2017 study found that 25.6% of all people who groomed their pubic hair reported injuries.

The most common injury was vaginal cuts in women. A small percentage of people in the study needed antibiotics or surgery to treat them. 5

Some other causes of vaginal tears include:

If you have any of the following skin conditions, you may be more likely to experience vaginal cuts:

Vaginal cuts are common and often result from everyday activities such as sex and hair removal. Most are minor and heal on their own. Contact a healthcare provider if cuts are numerous, do not heal, or you experience other symptoms such as pain, fever, or unusual discharge.

To diagnose a vaginal cut, your healthcare provider will need to perform a physical examination and take your medical history. This helps them understand your symptoms, as well as any other medical conditions or other factors that could be the reason for the injury. The healthcare provider will also ask if the symptoms are new or recurring to find out if you have a history of vaginal cuts.

When vaginal cuts are small, the healthcare provider may need to use a surgical instrument with a bright light (a colposcope) to magnify the injured area during the examination.

Usually, tests aren't needed to diagnose and treat vaginal cuts when the history is known (e.g., happened after shaving) and the cuts appear minor and infection-free.

Sometimes, though, tests are helpful to check for any conditions that contributed to the injury. These tests could include:

Vaginal cuts usually heal up quickly with no scarring and only slight bleeding.

If bleeding or pain does not clear up within a few days after the injury occurs, call your healthcare provider.

Treating vaginal cuts will involve self-care but may also require medical treatment.

Most minor vaginal cuts are treatable at home. Self-care for simple cuts focuses on keeping the injury clean and dry, avoiding products that could irritate the area, and avoiding activity that could make your injury worse.

In many instances, and with proper self care, vaginal cuts can be left to heal on their own, provided there are no signs or symptoms of infection.

If your vaginal cuts are caused by underlying conditions, or if they are not healing well or get infected, they may need to be treated by a medical professional.

In some cases, your provider may recommend treatments such as:

If a vaginal cut results in a severe infection, it could lead to an abscess that might need to be drained.

Large or severe cuts may need stitches. Deep tears and cuts that reoccur or leave scars may need to be repaired surgically. 2

Prevention measures for recurrence of vaginal cuts depend on several factors:

Prevention tips for simple vaginal cuts caused by sexual activity include:

Sexual activity should not normally be painful and it should not result in injuries or bleeding. Be sure to learn how to communicate with your partner if sex is causing any type of discomfort, even if it’s awkward to talk about.

The best way to prevent vaginal cuts from shaving or waxing is to avoid grooming your pubic hair. However, if you decide to shave or wax, here are some tips to avoid vaginal cuts:

Be gentle when pulling out tampons and make sure that they have been left in long enough to absorb moisture (usually a couple of hours) and are not dry when removing them. Never yank a tampon out suddenly; rather, remove it slowly.

A common cause of damage to the vaginal tissue is removing a tampon that has not been adequately moistened, then immediately putting another one in. After you remove a dry tampon, consider using a pad or period underwear instead.

Pubic hair grooming (by shaving or waxing), can cause damage to the sensitive genital tissue, as can some sexual activities or tampon use. To avoid vaginal cuts from these activities, be sure that you have plenty of lubrication (for both sex and for tampon use) and if you groom your public area, do so carefully.

Skin in the genital region is delicate, sensitive, and can be prone to injuries. In some cases, underlying medical conditions may make your skin even more fragile. If you have a vaginal cut or injury to your vaginal tissue, understanding what caused it is important so that you can prevent it from happening again.

Vaginal cuts are never pleasant. While some can be serious, rest assured that most are not.

Keep the area clean and have some patience—it's very likely that a minor cut will be a thing of the past in a few days. Don't hesitate to contact your healthcare provider if you experience odd discharge, persistent pain, or other symptoms of a significant tear or infection.

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Truesdale MD, Osterberg EC, Gaither TW, et al. Prevalence of pubic hair grooming-related injuries and identification of high-risk individuals in the United States. JAMA Dermatol . 2017;153(11):1114-1121. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2815
Pi W, Ryu JS, Roh J. Lactobacillus acidophilus contributes to a healthy environment for vaginal epithelial cells . Korean J Parasitol . 2011;49(3):295-8. doi:10.3347/kjp.2011.49.3.295
Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. Managing common vulvar skin conditions .
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A vaginal tear (laceration) is a wound in the tissues of the vagina. It can be caused by damage during sex. Putting a foreign object into the vagina may also cause a tear. Other factors that can make a tear more likely include thinning of tissue in the vagina due to aging or scarring of the tissue due to surgery. An injury in the crotch area during activities such as cycling (straddle injury) can also lead to a vaginal tear.
Treatment depends on how severe your tear is:
Shallow (superficial) tears. These may cause mild pain and light bleeding. These tears often heal on their own with very little treatment.
Deep tears. These are more likely to cause more severe pain or heavy bleeding. They must be fixed with surgery.
Use over-the-counter pain medicine as directed. If needed, stronger pain medicines may be prescribed.
Soak in a bath with a few inches of warm water. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes a few times a day, or as directed.
If you lost a lot of blood, you may feel weak. Rest as needed until you feel stronger.
Don't touch the tear while it is healing.
Don’t douche unless your healthcare provider says it’s OK.
Wait to use tampons or have sex until the tear has healed. This may take a few weeks or longer.
If the tear was an accidental injury during sex, ask your provider how you might prevent similar injuries in the future. This may include using a water-based lubricant during sex.
Follow up with your healthcare provider, or as advised. If stitches were used to repair your tear, these will dissolve on their own and don’t need to be removed.
Call the healthcare provider right away if any of these occur:
Abnormal or bad-smelling discharge from the vagina
Fever of 100.4ºF (38ºC) or higher, or as directed by your provider

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