College students frequently report pain during sex and men are less likely to speak up
Mar 11th 2026
A new survey published in the International Journal of Sexual Health of 263 U.S. college students finds high rates of pain across types of sexual activity and shows that traditional gender beliefs are tied to staying silent and not stopping when sex hurts.
- Survey of 263 students at a southeastern U.S. university found over 90% of women and nearly 50% of men reported pain during penile vaginal sex.
- For anal sex, 97.1% of women and 44.4% of men reported a history of pain.
- Women were about twice as likely as men to tell partners and to stop during painful vaginal sex.
- Women were over three times more likely to tell partners and four times more likely to stop during painful anal sex.
- There was no significant gender difference in reporting or stopping for non penetrative sexual acts.
- Stronger adherence to traditional gender roles was linked to lower likelihood of telling a partner or stopping during painful vaginal and anal sex.
- Respondents cited causes such as lack of lubrication, insufficient arousal, awkward angles, aggressive movement, overexertion, and teeth scraping.
- Limitations include a single university sample of young adults, no data on sexual orientation or relationship status, and that the links reported are correlations not proof of causation.