Everything you should be protecting your lady parts from, besides STIs

Often, we are told that condoms are the one thing that could almost completely shield us of the most troublesome effects of unprotected sex—STIs. But, as we all know, there are many things that could go wrong with one's vagina that isn't necessarily directly linked to concerns surrounding sexually transmitted infections.

Vaginal wounds are real and they are painful and they—simply put—suck, a lot. They can be caused by an array of reasons that can very well be unbeknownst to you, and go as far as affecting not just your vagina on a superficial level, but could also even damage your cervix.

Beware of piercings

One of those many reasons is what you decide to insert in your vagina when seeking pleasure. If your male partner's sexual organ is equipped with a shiny foreign object like, say, a Prince Albert piercing, then you should probably know that this can lead to some pretty painful sexual experiences that you will not want to repeat.

Dr. Janet Brito of healthline.com, says that those with piercings to their penis can injure their partners tissues while having sex:

Jewellery can rub, chafe, or injure sensitive areas on your partner’s genitals, anus, or mouth during sex. Rarely, jewellery can become hooked to your partner’s genital, anal, or facial jewellery. This can be painful or difficult to undo without medical help.

Not lubed up enough?

Another such factor to consider if you find yourself experiences pain in your vagina is when not enough lubrication is involved during the act. Sometimes, underlying medical conditions can be the reason for drier moments down there. Menopause and low estrogen levels are typically associated with vaginal dryness.

But rest assured, much can be done about it. From medication to treat the root cause to even simply using artificial lubrication when engaging in sexual intercourse, vaginal dryness does not have to be a permanent ailment.

So the take away here is to make sure that you are aware of what to insert down there and how to do so to prevent vaginal injury from occurring.