vaginismus

anyone know anything about it?

 

Vaginismus is a relatively rare, yet highly debilitating female sexual dysfunction. Vaginismus can be defined as an involuntary spasm of the muscles surrounding the vaginal opening. This muscular contraction makes any attempt at vaginal penetration either extremely painful, or all together impossible. Although intercourse becomes impossible, women who suffer from vaginismus are capable of becoming sexually aroused, achieving lubrication, and even orgasm through alternative stimulation.

Vaginismus must be further classified as either primary or secondary vaginismus. Primary vaginismus refers to cases where the effected woman has never been able to have intercourse with penetration due to the involuntary contractions of her vaginal muscles. Primary vaginismus is sometimes referred to as the "unconsummated marriage". A diagnosis of secondary vaginismus refers to a woman who was able to experience intercourse at one time, but is no longer able to be penetrated, due to the involuntary muscle spasms.

The first step for any woman who suspects she has vaginismus is to schedule a full pelvic examination with her gynecologist in order to rule out a physical cause. Ruling out any physical causes, vaginismus is most often conceptualized as a psychosomatic disorder, a physical manifestation of some deeper psychological cause. There are several theories as to what those psychological causes are, but most center around three primary issues: control issues within the relationship, past sexual trauma, or a conditioned association of pain/fear with vaginal penetration (a phobic reaction to the thought of penetration).

Common treatment for psychologically-rooted vaginismus will include a combination of couples therapy, proscribed Kegel exercises for the woman, sensate focus exercises for the couple to do at home, and the progressive use of a plastic dilator or finger which is inserted into the woman’s vaginal opening in order to progressively stretch the contracted muscles.

Fortunately, research shows that if vaginismus is treated by a professional using these (or similar) techniques, the woman can expect an 80 to 100% cure rate. The most important variable in determining positive outcome, however, is the support the effected woman has while she is coping with the anxiety produced during treatment. Anxiety which will inevitably be produced when the woman is faced with the dilemma that her being cured means allowing the penetration which she fears so much. Ideally, this anxiety will be confronted and dealt with in the couples’ therapy and, as a result, the couple can look forward to being cured and sharing the experience of intercourse once again.