[Vaginal injuries during coitus: 98 cases]

We have undertaken a prospective study of vaginal injuries due to coitus with the aim of evaluating their incidence, risk factors and anatomic lesions. Over a period of 39 months, 98 cases were found, giving a monthly incidence of 2.5. The patients had a mean age of 25 years, were paucipara in more than 50%. Sexual abstience was found in 72 cases with a mean duration of 6 months. This injury occurred more often in gynecological period than in the postpartum (77 cases versus 22). During sexual intercourse the most harmful position was when the patient was in dorsal decubitus with maximum flexion and abduction of the limbs. The vaginal injury was located in the posterior cul de sac in 39 cases and was of 5 cm of length in 56%. Surgical suture was required in 92 out of 98 patients, in combination with local and general antibiotics.

Vaginal injuries due to coitus are frequent in our practice and they create serious anatomic lesions. So there is a need to precise the etiopathogenicity (hormonal deficiency ?, infections ?, role of the male partner) and to evaluate the long term sequellas.