Women’s health is something delicate and at the same time difficult to deal with. Because it involves a group of people with the most important reproductive function and several social factors that can contribute to the appearance of certain diseases, talking about women’s health can still be complicated even today. Of course, we can’t say that medical treatment for women is the same as it was 40 or 50 years ago, but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some factors that contribute to diseases such as vaginismus.

What is Vaginismus?

Vaginismus is a condition that basically causes pain in women during sex and usually disrupts sexual life. It occurs through involuntary contractions of the vaginal muscles, causing a lot of pain or even making sexual intercourse impossible.

In addition to sexual intercourse, a woman may also have trouble using tampons or even undergoing gynecological exams, depending on the severity of the condition.

It is estimated that 5 to 17% of women worldwide suffer from vaginismus today, but these numbers may be even higher, since the taboo surrounding the topic of sex ends up keeping many women from seeking medical help for treatment.

To better understand what vaginismus is and how to treat it, it’s necessary to also understand what its main causes are. This way, women can also understand better how their bodies work and how they can improve, since the psychological factor is so important when it comes to this subject.

Symptoms of Vaginismus

First, we need to understand what the main symptoms of vaginismus are and why they appear, they are:

  • Involuntary Contraction of the Vagina
  • Difficulty Manipulating the Pelvic Region
  • Anxiety
  • Low Self-Esteem

When observing and analyzing these symptoms, it’s important to understand that the physical symptoms are directly associated with psychological symptoms. This is the first step toward understanding how vaginismus can be treated.

It’s also important to understand that vaginismus manifests in several different levels. Speaking of sexual intercourse, there are women who are able to have sex, but with a lot of pain and discomfort, while others have their vaginal muscles totally contracted, making any type of intercourse impossible. The different levels of vaginismus are:

  • Mild Discomfort
  • Burning and Contraction
  • Involuntary Contraction
  • Intense Pain

In each of these, the condition manifests itself more acutely and affects the woman more. Even with milder symptoms, as in the first level, medical follow-up is necessary, because difficulties in sexual life can affect a woman’s life in all other areas.

How Is Vaginismus Diagnosed?

When noticing these symptoms, a woman should seek a doctor who will assess if she really suffers from vaginismus. It is important to have tests done and to have medical follow-up for two reasons.

The first is that only in this way will you know what level of vaginismus you have and how intensive your treatment needs to be. The second is also very important, since the correct diagnosis will rule out the possibility that these symptoms are from another, more serious problem that the woman might have. So, to make sure you have vaginismus, and to know which is the right treatment for your case, see a gynecologist.

Causes of Vaginismus

Once a woman has been diagnosed with vaginismus, it’s important to understand how it appeared so that appropriate treatment can be given. The causes of this type of condition can be divided into two groups: Physical causes and non-physical causes.

This is the most important step to understand the reason for vaginismus, but of course, once we know whether it’s a physical cause or not, we need to dig deeper to understand how the condition arose.

Physical Causes of Vaginismus

The main physical causes of vaginismus are:

Many of these factors can contribute to the development of vaginismus. While injuries such as physical trauma and sexual abuse are easily understood, since the area gets sensitive and injured, which can trigger the condition.

Other factors such as medications can be explained by side effects that certain drugs have, since some of these effects are precisely pelvic pain.

Non-Physical Causes of Vaginismus

The main non-physical causes of vaginismus are:

  • Fears
  • Childhood Traumas
  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Traumatic Events
  • Relationship Problems

When we talk about non-physical causes, we are talking directly about psychological factors that affect women. As already mentioned, various social factors make diseases related to sex caused by psychological factors far more frequent in women. Fears, anxiety, and traumatic events are some examples of how this factor has great influence in the cause of vaginismus.

Treatments for Vaginismus

Once we know what causes the condition to manifest, we can understand what the best type of treatment is for each case. Thus, we can also separate the types of psychological and physical therapy treatments.

Psychological Treatment

The psychological treatment of vaginismus is carried out alongside a professional, who will help the woman understand which emotional factors are making her vaginal muscles contract. Many times the non-physical causes of vaginismus are unknown until the woman is able to understand them through proper psychological treatment.

Physical Therapy Treatment

This type of treatment is performed based on the observation and degree of vaginismus that the woman presents. Since the physical causes of the condition may vary, so can the treatment. However, the most common approach is through contraction and relaxation exercises for the muscles, fundamental for the woman to get to know her body and gain control over it.

Diseases like vaginismus affect many women all over the world and are more common than you might think. It is very important that women do not feel bad about seeking help to solve this type of problem and do not treat it as a taboo. Even though it may be difficult for many, this is actually the first step for vaginismus to be cured.

See Also: Most Common Sexual Dysfunctions in Women
Photos: Canon EOS 6d