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Question:
I am a 23 year old female. I've been in a sexual relationship with my boyfriend for a little over 2 years. I have 2 questions, but they are kind of inter-related. Last April (it's January now) I went to see my doctor for my yearly well-woman exam/pap, etc. I was also experiencing a slight discomfort/tenderness during intercourse. She ordered an ultrasound after performing an internal exam. (She thought maybe I had a cyst). The ultrasound did not reveal anything -- no cyst. The pap was negative. I've continued to have this discomfort. It is always a tenderness in my left side. I only notice it when we have intercourse, and only in certain positions (the ones with deeper penetration). It also seems to occur around the time of my period, and it's not noticeable at other times. This in turn has affected our sex life because I have to stick to certain positions to avoid the discomfort. This has unfortunately made our sex life somewhat routine, especially since we can usually only meet once a week (we are full-time students living away from one another). So between 25% and 33% of the times we make love, I'm in that uncomfortable time of the month. What could be wrong with me? Should I get further testing? Could it be related to my using birth control pills? I've been on the same prescription for 4 years and take it regularly. If you do not publish this, could you reply to this email, or refer me to someone who could answer my questions? I obviously need a second opinion because my doctor told me there was nothing wrong.

Answer:
by Annette Owens:
(05/13/2004)
I do not think that your pain is related to taking birth control pills. It is encouraging that the ultrasound in April and your physical exam at that time was negative. However, I think it would be a good idea to go to a different gynecologist in order to get a second opinion. Let that doctor know about everything that has already been done. Did the previous ultrasound include your ovaries? This is another area than just the uterus to focus on during palpation and ultrasound, and your left ovary could be the focus of the pain. It may just be a simple cyst. When did the pain start? Were you able to have intercourse without this pain previously? This is important information for the doctor doing another exam. Good luck and best wishes, Annette Owens, MD PhD

Reviewed by: Mitchell Tepper Ph.D.,

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