Symptom finder
Symptoms rarely arrive with the right vocabulary attached. Find the description that matches, then read the page it points to.
Bladder and support
| What it feels like | Where to read | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Leaking when coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercising | Pelvic floor exercises | Start with technique, then the programme |
| Sudden urgent need to pass urine, sometimes leaking on the way | Overactive pelvic floor | Also common after menopause |
| Dragging heaviness low down, worse by the end of the day | Pelvic organ prolapse | A visible bulge should be examined |
| A feeling that the bladder never empties, or a slow stream | Overactive pelvic floor | Inability to pass urine needs same day help |
| Repeated urine infections after menopause | Genitourinary syndrome | Treatable; do not accept repeat antibiotics alone |
| Leaking wind or stool, at any time after a birth | Pelvic floor after childbirth | Needs assessment, not patience |
Pain
| What it feels like | Where to read | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Burning or tearing at the entrance during sex | Painful sex | Treat dryness first, then look for skin causes |
| Hitting a wall, or penetration not possible at all | Vaginismus | A reflex, and treatable |
| Deep pain inside during sex, worse in some positions | Endometriosis | Especially with painful periods |
| Constant burning or rawness with nothing to see | Vulvodynia | Other causes must be excluded first |
| Aching in the pelvis, tailbone or inner thighs after sitting | Overactive pelvic floor | Often improves with release work |
| Period pain that stops normal activity | Endometriosis | Deserves investigation |
| Sudden severe pelvic pain, or pain with fever | Appointment | Urgent assessment, not a page |
Skin, itching and discharge
| What it feels like | Where to read | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Intense itching, worse at night, with pale or shiny skin | Lichen sclerosus | Frequently mistaken for thrush for years |
| Itching with a thick white discharge | Thrush and bacterial vaginosis | Confirm with a swab if it recurs |
| A strong or fishy smell, thin grey discharge, little itching | Thrush and bacterial vaginosis | Different treatment from thrush |
| Skin splitting at the back of the opening | Lichen sclerosus | Needs an examination |
| Soreness that started after a new wash, wipe or liner | Vulval hygiene | Remove everything but water for two weeks |
| A lump, ulcer or sore that has not healed in a few weeks | Appointment | Needs examination, not a page |
Dryness and sexual function
| What it feels like | Where to read | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dryness all the time, not only during sex | Genitourinary syndrome | Points to the tissue rather than arousal |
| Dryness only during sex, comfortable otherwise | Vaginal dryness | Often arousal time rather than tissue |
| Dryness while breastfeeding | The first year after birth | Temporary, and manageable meanwhile |
| No interest in sex, and distressed by that | Low libido | Check pain, medication and sleep first |
| Arousal happens, orgasm does not | Difficulty reaching orgasm | Check medication if it is a change |
| Sex was fine and now hurts, after menopause | Sex after menopause | Usually treatable at the tissue level |
Bleeding and cycle
| What it feels like | Where to read | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Periods becoming irregular in the forties, with sleep and mood change | Perimenopause | Diagnosis is usually clinical |
| Very heavy bleeding, clots, flooding | Period products | Also needs an appointment: it is treatable |
| Bleeding between periods or after sex | Appointment | Needs assessment |
| Any bleeding after twelve months without a period | Appointment | Always needs urgent assessment |
How to use this
If two rows fit, read both. Overlap is normal: dryness and an overactive pelvic floor frequently occur together, as do a skin condition and secondary muscle guarding. Where a row says appointment, that is the whole answer.
Before the appointment, write down where the symptom is, when it started, whether it is constant or provoked, what makes it better or worse, and what has already been tried and for how long. The question lists cover what to ask once you are there.
Where this information comes from
The symptom groupings on this page follow public patient information published by the National Health Service, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Last reviewed: September 2026