11 reasons why you may be cramping after sex

• Cramping after sex can have a number of causes, including a UTI, muscle strain, vaginismus, and fibroids.
• You may also experience cramps after sex if you are dealing with emotional trauma surrounding sex.
• Men may also feel painful cramping if they have prostatitis, which is an inflammation of the prostate.

For some people, sex isn't always a pleasant experience. Frequently experiencing pain during or after sex can really put a damper on your sex life, and put you off from having sex in the first place.

There's a wide variety of causes that may be to blame for muscle cramps after sex, ranging from acute problems to chronic conditions.

Here are 11 reasons why you may experience cramping after sex.

1. Muscle strain

Sex can be a physically strenuous activity, and it's possible to strain a muscle in the pelvic region or elsewhere while you're having sex. Sex may also aggravate existing muscle strains, resulting in cramping and discomfort after sex.

2. Orgasm

When you have an orgasm, the vaginal walls and muscles of the uterus contract rhythmically, says Sherry A. Ross, MD, OB/GYN and women's health expert in Santa Monica, California, and author of "she-ology" and "she-ology. the she-quel."

Ross says that uterine cramping along with the orgasm is a normal physiologic response.

"Before and during an orgasm, your heart rate, pulse, blood pressure and breathing increases. The muscles everywhere in your body, especially in your pelvic area, can become tense, spasm and cramp," says Ross.

3. STIs

STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea may cause pain during and after sex.

These STIs can result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), says Ross, which can lead to severe pelvic pain as well as further cramping during and after sex.

Be on the lookout for symptoms like:

• Vaginal discharge
• Odor
• Itching

These may be signs that you could have an STI.

4. IUD

Ross says uterine cramping with orgasms is a normal physiologic response. However, since an IUD takes up space in the uterine cavity, this can cause cramping to be more intense, says Ross. However, this isn't experienced by everyone with an IUD.

5. Vaginismus

Vaginismus is a condition that results in involuntary muscle spasms around the vagina.

Having sex in the first place can be very difficult and painful for someone with vaginismus, and after sex, the woman's muscles will continue to spasm, resulting in pain, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a physician in the Sexual Intimacy & Menopause Program at Yale Medicine.

6. Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are benign, non-cancerous growths in the uterus. They can be in the uterine wall or stick out from the uterus. They can be aggravated during sex.

"Thrusting can actually hit at the fibroids, and there can be pain from these growths which will feel like muscle cramps," says Minkin.

Depending on the size and location of the fibroids and the severity of symptoms, surgery may be necessary to provide relief, says Ross.

7. Endometriosis

Endometriosis is when the tissue that typically lines the uterus is found outside the uterus in other areas of the pelvis. These are known as endometrial implants.

"If the implants are on nerves, ligaments, and tissue stretched during sex, pain can be significant and often unbearable, lasting hours and days afterward," says Ross.

8. UTI

The bladder and vagina are closely connected, as the bladder rests on the front wall of the vagina. When you have a urinary tract infection (UTI), the bladder is inflamed, so you will feel pain during or after sex, because sex is pressing on an inflamed organ, says Minkin.

Other symptoms of UTIs to look out for are:

• Frequent urination
• Strong urges to urinate
• Cloudy or discolored urine
• Urine odor
• Pelvic pain

9. Deep penetration

Some sex positions result in deeper penetration, and these are known to be harder on the vagina and female organs such as the uterus and ovaries, says Ross. Also, if the cervix is being hit during sex, this can result in pain and cramping.

10. Emotional trauma

Trauma can manifest itself physically. "If someone has previously been assaulted, for example, she may be reliving her attack, which can easily recall physical pain," says Minkin.

11. Prostatitis

Women aren't the only ones who experience cramping after sex. Prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate, can cause pain during or after sex in men.

"When your prostate is inflamed, there may be discomfort during intercourse, especially during ejaculation when the prostate and seminal vesicles contract," says Daniel Kellner, MD, urologist with Yale Medicine.

Insider's takeaway

Sex should be enjoyable, not painful. If you're experiencing cramping during or after sex, make sure you see your doctor to determine if you might be dealing with any of these conditions and learn how you can have pain-free sex.