Women’s bodies seem to me to be infinitely more complicated than men’s. Here is a phenomenon that you probably did not know about: Antihistamines cause drying of your skin, and that includes skin inside the vagina.

Antihistamines do their work by blocking histamine, the chemical your body produces when exposed to an allergy trigger. They can dry out your mucous membranes — including the lining of your vagina.

I wish this information were more widely circulated, because in my experience, women who are experiencing unusual vaginal pain are unlikely to express that they are in pain. They don’t want to upset their partners, so they just bear the pain.

But associating pain with having intercourse is never a good thing. Pay attention to this phenomenon, and if you notice it don’t have intercourse again until you have a good lubricant by your side.

Talking about pain during sex is not normalized in our society. Have you ever seen a movie scene where a couple is having sex and either partner mentions having pain? The only time I have ever seen this on film is in the 2001 Israeli movie, “Late Marriage.” (It’s a great movie. It used to be available on Netflix, but not anymore. You might be able to get it on interlibrary loan.)

And remember, it’s okay to stop in the middle of sex if you’re having discomfort.