What to Do If You're Irritated After Sex

Are you a woman who just recently had so-called "rough" sex with your husband (or you had intercourse and were not properly lubricated), and you are very irritated from the activity "down there"? Of course, you want to rule out an actual infection (either bladder or vaginal, which will be apparent if their is blood in your urine, or even a cloudy urine which would mean your urine contains pus and therefore infection, or if your vagina is bleeding even a day after the rough sex) - in which case you want to make your way to your local emergency or urgent care clinic, or else make an appointment with your personal doctor. But, if that is ruled out and you are basically just left with irritation, then don't worry because there are some things you can do to soothe yourself as your body goes through it's healing process.

The first thing you need to do is go ahead and calm the pain. Your body, if you are healthy, has already begun the process to heal itself and so all you need to do is try and deal with the pain while it goes through this crucial process. So, just how can you calm it?

Hydrocortisone cream - Many women wouldn't think about using this on their vulva, but it can do wonders because what it basically does is numb the pain or irritation away that you feel down there. Sometimes, too, a woman's external urethra may be inflamed from the sexual activity, and so you can dab just a little bit of this on to numb the burning away as you wait for it to heal. It's good to have on hand if you foresee this happening again in the future. Be sure to read the cautions and other directions on the cream, though, as some contain other ingredients that make them unsafe for the genital area. Cortizone-10 is a nice option to use, as it even says on the box that it "temporarily relieves external ... genital itching."

Ice cold wet rag - With this technique, simply get a small and clean rag, soak it in very cold water (you may have to do it again as it warms up to your body temperature), and place it over the irritated area, preferably while you lay down or sit on the toilet. You will probably begin to feel relief immediately.

Lubricant - Some people use Vaseline, but it's best to go with a lubricant that's specifically made for your genital area (especially if you plan on putting it inside, like in the vagina) so that you don't risk infection. It may just be that your sensitive area down there is either very dry, or it just needs to be soothed. In this case, soothe yourself with some lubricant and apply it as often as necessary. Olive oil is also a nice way to soothe yourself if you don't have lubricant on hand immediately, but it shouldn't be used regularly because it can actually increase your chance of infection the same as Vaseline.

Warm bath - Avoid using any type of bubble bath or soaps if you choose to soothe yourself in the tub, as that can only cause further irritation and increase risk of infection. Instead, simply fill up a bath with very warm water, add nothing to it, and sit yourself down in it, allowing the warm (not hot) water to run over your genital area. When drying yourself, don't wipe too hard down there but simply dab the moisture off.

While pain from rough sex can be hard to deal with, you can soothe the pain away as your body heals.