Finding ways to relieve painful intercourse Researchers at Flinders University are working to remedy this situation by identifying what triggers this chronic pain in the female reproductive tract. Dr Joel Castro Kraftchenko - Head of Endometriosis Research for the Visceral Pain Group (VIPER), with the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University - is leading research into the pain attached to Dyspareunia, also known as vaginal hyperalgesia or painful intercourse, which is one of the most debilitating symptoms experienced by women with endometriosis and vulvodynia. Pain is detected by specialized proteins (called ion channels) that are present in sensory nerves and project from peripheral organs to the central nervous system.