Introduction
Sexual intercourse is supposed to be a healthy and pleasurable experience, however, for many people, having sexual intercourse is extremely painful or impossible. One of the foremost causes of painful sex in women is vaginismus.
Vaginismus is an extremely common condition or a penetration disorder experience in many women, which is an involuntary spasm of the pelvic muscles surrounding the outer third of the vagina. This can result in anticipated pain associated with vaginal penetration. Thus, vaginismus is the body’s automatic reaction to the fear of some or all types of vaginal penetration and you have no control over that. Based on the pain associated with vaginal penetration, vaginismus can be mild, moderate, or severe. The pain is often described as burning, cramping, or a tight feeling. Also, in some women, nothing can be inserted into their vagina, in such cases, sufferers describe it as like hitting a brick wall. The severe form of vaginismus usually makes penetration impossible and causes severe, burning pain, and leads to unconsummated marriage. The mild degrees of vaginismus can usually be overcome by sexually secure husbands by persistent but firm penile insertion. However, medical intervention is usually necessary for moderate to severe degrees of vaginismus to lead to the consummation of the marriage.
The impact of vaginismus
Vaginismus can have a huge impact on women, their partners and significantly impact relationships, leading to distance and conflict. Women experiencing vaginismus generally feel shame, disgust, and dislike toward their genitals and they frequently have or have had other phobias, and may feel embarrassed or abnormal which can deter them from seeking help. Yet many women with vaginismus feel alone and hopeless as it’s rarely talked about and undiagnosed vaginismus can significantly impact self-esteem, and lead to anxiety or depression.
Types of Vaginismus
There are different types of vaginismus affecting women of different ages, and the most common ones are listed below:
i. Primary Vaginismus
Primary vaginismus refers to women who have experienced their vaginismus symptoms lifelong and it gets difficult for any kind of penetration. This means that the woman experiencing this condition has never been able to tolerate any form of vaginal penetration without issue. And, those women may feel immense pain and the partner may unable to insert the penis into the vagina during her first intercourse.
ii. Secondary Vaginismus
Occasionally, some women can get vaginismus symptoms even if they have previously been able to achieve vaginal penetration or enjoyed penetrative sex without any issues. This is known as secondary vaginismus and can be triggered after childbirth, or as a result of a specific traumatic event, or by some sort of vaginal infections, menopause, surgery, and perimenopause.
iii. Global Vaginismus
Global vaginismus describes women whose vaginismus symptoms have always been present and can be triggered by any form of vaginal penetration. This can occur during sex, even while using tampons, or undergo any gynaecological examination.
iv. Situational Vaginismus
Situational vaginismus is a specific type of vaginismus that occurs in certain situations, a woman may experience her symptoms during some types of vaginal penetration, but not during others. For example, inserting a tampon or a pelvic examination may not cause pain but a woman’s vaginismus may be triggered during sex.
Causes of vaginismus
The actual reasons for vaginismus are not clear always, but the fear that your vagina is too small, a bad first sexual experience, an unpleasant medical examination, believing sex is shameful or wrong or a painful medical condition, like thrush, are thought to cause vaginismus.
Diagnosis and Treatment Options for Vaginismus
Vaginismus can be incredibly stressful; however, this can be treated, a proper diagnosis and treatment are very essential. A wide range of potential treatment options like Psychological therapy, Pelvic floor exercises, Relaxation techniques, Sensate Focus, and Vaginal trainers are available depending on each woman’s symptoms. Vaginismus treatment usually focuses on managing your feelings around penetration and exercises to gradually get you used to penetration. The treatment can be under the guidance of a specialized sexologist and then usually be expected to practice at home and the treatment works and you may see progress in a matter of weeks.
Many couples have been successfully treated at Androgynaecare clinic and their stories can be read in CAFE stories on this website.