Once every three months or so, I experience some vaginal tearing during intercourse. I know the cause is the size of my husband's penis. We have to buy the Magnum extra large to fit him and normally the size of his penis isn't an issue. The occasional tearing, however, is pretty painful. Sometimes it's a small eye shape just inside my opening. It hurts the worst when I urinate and I normally cannot have sex again for about two weeks. Is there any sort of OTC medication I could use to help it heal quicker or to lessen the pain?

This sounds like something you should see your gynecologist about. A woman's vagina should accommodate to her husband's penis after a while no matter the size. Maybe you aren't waiting for penetration until you are lubricated enough? I'd check with your doctor about the medication part. - Answer provided by Dr. Shay Roop, RN, LMHC, Ed.D, shay@drshay.org, www.drshay.org.

The ideal solution would be to lessen the probability of this happening rather than to treat with OTC medications. Make sure that you are stimulated sufficiently prior to penile insertion and if necessary, use a sterile lubricant such as K-Y Jelly. Corn Huskers lotion is also water soluble and readily available. It can be scented with flavoring from the grocery store. Pick your favorite - coconut, vanilla, etc. You also might want to try female above positions where you can control depth of penetration, movement, and motion. - Answer provided by Tim Britton, Ph.D., AASECT, ABS, timbritton@yahoo.com.

Two things come to mind as I read this - sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and lubrication. For the first, you will need to seek medical assistance to find out if there is an STD involved. It would be best to seek advice when this "tear" is present. If there is not an STD, I would suggest a vaginal lubricant be used each time, not occasionally, but with each intercourse. Some vaginal tearing is normal, but soreness is not. - Answer provided by Michael Gonzales, Ph.D., mfgonzal@speakeasy.net, www.upasoc.com.

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