A patient reports painful intercourse. Which of the following terms correctly identifies this specific sexual dysfunction?

Appeared in: RAK Nursing Officer - 2019

Explanation

Dyspareunia is the specific medical term for recurrent or persistent genital pain associated with sexual intercourse.
The pain can occur before, during, or after coitus and can be caused by a wide range of physical or psychological factors.
While other dysfunctions can be associated with pain, dyspareunia is defined by the pain itself being the primary symptom.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Vaginismus is characterized by the involuntary spasm of the pelvic floor muscles, which makes penetration difficult or impossible. While this can be painful, the core issue is the muscle contraction, not the pain itself.
Option C: Anorgasmia is the inability to achieve orgasm or climax. It is a disorder of sexual response, not a pain disorder.
Option D: Loss of libido, or hypoactive sexual desire disorder, refers to a lack of interest in or desire for sexual activity. It does not describe a physical symptom like pain.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Terminology of Sexual Dysfunctions to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses play a crucial role in creating a safe and non-judgmental environment for patients to discuss sensitive topics like sexual health.
A thorough nursing assessment includes asking about sexual function, as pain can be a symptom of underlying medical conditions such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or STIs.
What if? If the patient reported painful intercourse and an inability to insert a tampon, the nurse should suspect that Vaginismus might be a co-occurring or primary issue, warranting a more specific line of questioning and referral.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key phrase in the question stem: 'painful intercourse'.
This is a definition-based question. Your task is to match the clinical description to the correct medical term.
Review each option and recall its specific definition.
Option A, Vaginismus, is muscle spasm. Option C, Anorgasmia, is inability to climax. Option D, Loss of Libido, is lack of desire.
Option B, Dyspareunia, is the direct medical term for painful intercourse. This makes it the best fit.
Confirm your choice by ensuring the other terms do not fit the primary complaint of 'pain'.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Terminology of Sexual Dysfunctions
Stem keywords: painful intercourse, sexual dysfunction
Lead-in keywords: correctly identifies
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QJN5u0ZGFKFkW98TIrAlt6

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 6564-6566

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1665-1667

Practise the full RAK Nursing Officer - 2019

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

Attempt this paper Attempt in the NPrep app