Doctors are warning of the dangers of rushing back into sex after a years-long dry spell in a shocking medical report.
The woman, a 39-year-old mother, suffered a tear on the right side of her vagina after having sex for the first time in eight years.
The terrifying episode saw blood flood the bathroom and the patient had to use 20 sanitary pads in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
In total, she lost more than half a litre of blood, prompting doctors to keep her in hospital overnight.
Women have suffered vaginal tears during sexual intercourse (stock image)
The patient, who was in the UK, received stitches to close the wound in her vagina and stop the bleeding.
He was discharged the following morning and suffered no long-term complications from his injury.
Doctors said it was possible the injury was caused by not properly lubricating her vagina before penetrative sex.
In the report they said: ‘The vagina becomes lubricated with transudate (watery fluids) and increases in length and width dimensions as part of sexual arousal.
‘Sexual intercourse that occurs without this physiological preparation of the vagina is more likely to result in vaginal injury.’
Vaginal injuries can cause a lot of bleeding because the area is very vascular or contains many blood vessels.
Doctors warn that injuries to this area also leave patients at risk of infections and long-term damage to reproductive organs, possibly caused by scar tissue.
These injuries are rare, but not unheard of: A 2022 study of 316 gynecologists found that 83.5 percent had treated people with vaginal injuries from consensual sex.
The report published in 2013 revealed three cases of vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse. Case reports in clinical medicine.
In all cases, sexual relations were consensual, the women had not become pregnant and none were about to have their period when the bleeding began.
In the second case, an 18-year-old girl lost approximately two liters of blood — or one-third of the blood in her body — after suffering a vaginal tear.
The patient had consensual sexual intercourse with her partner in the morning and denied using sexual toys or instruments.
But then she ran to the bathroom, where she spent two hours trying to stop the bleeding, even inserting a tampon that was expelled by the flow of blood.
She went to the emergency room, but before she arrived, two pads were soaked in blood. The patient also said she was starting to feel weak.
The exam revealed a two-inch tear in the lip of the cervix, which is the area at the back of the vagina.
She received stitches to close the tear and a blood transfusion to replace lost fluids, and remained hospitalized overnight before being discharged.
In a third case, an 18-year-old mother came to the hospital suffering from heavy vaginal bleeding.
It all began shortly after 4 a.m., after the patient had penetrative sex with her partner, she said, and had her fingers inserted into her vagina.
Examination revealed a 1.5-inch tear in the vaginal wall, which was repaired with sutures.
She was discharged and suffered no long-term complications from her injury.
In their report, the doctors said: ‘A (vaginal injury after sex) is a rare emergency that may be complicated by excessive blood loss, which increases if there is a delay in seeking care and diagnosis.
‘In these cases, rapid treatment should be instituted to minimize complications.’
Wounds are often treated with sutures to help stop bleeding, as well as applying pressure to the wound to help stop the bleeding.
The study was led by researchers at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust based in London.