Pelvic floor muscles in the outer 1/3 of the vagina involuntarily contracting, narrowing the vaginal access and preventing the realization of sexual intercourse. In fact, vaginismus is a fear reaction; it may even be called a panic attack against sexual intercourse. This fear reaction can be triggered by the fact that the penis or other body, such as an examination device, the tampon, the doctor’s finger, the partner’s finger or even own finger approach the vagina, or even the partner’s position for sexual intercourse.
What are the Symptoms of Vaginismus?
Finger insertion, tampon insertion, drug insertion with a vaginal applicator, gynecological examination, sexual intercourse cannot take place in any or all of these. It is also common for a woman to be unable to look at or even touch her genital area. A significant proportion of these women are unable to have any vaginal access, including sexual intercourse. Sometimes the vagina closes completely and access is not possible; Even during sexual intercourse efforts legs or back contractions may occur or they may feel as if their breath is stopped. They can close their legs and push their partners. Anything related to sex or sex can be avoided for fear of pain and failure.
What Causes Vaginismus?
Each patient has different causes, but the most common fear of pain is seen. These are the fears of exaggerated and untrue stories about the opening of the hymen during the first sexual intercourse. In societies where education on sexuality cannot be provided sufficiently, ignorance of sexuality, not knowing the place and structure of sexual organs may cause vaginismus alone. Girls who grow up in families where sexuality is seen as shame and sin cannot establish the intimacy required by marriage and experience extreme shyness. The girls, who have been raised to protect the hymen since their childhood, experience vaginismus unconsciously on the first night of their marriage with the instinct to protect this. Turkish movies, newspaper news, false stories told among friends, witnessing accidental parenting without knowing what happened in childhood can cause vaginismus. Childhood sexual abuse, or forced marriage, or problems with spouses, or fear of losing control in perfectionist personalities can also cause vaginismus.
What are the situations that can be confused with vaginismus?
Dyspareunia is often miscible with vaginismus: pain, burning, stinging during sexual intercourse. Causes: vaginal and external genital infections, conditions causing vaginal dryness, anatomically, some anomalies that prevent the entry of the vagina, many different conditions such as hymen can be differentiated and should be distinguished by examination.
What Does Vaginismus Patients Feel?
The most basic symptom of vaginismus is a person experiencing a panic attack-like condition. She is conscious, but control is lost. She pushes his partner, she contractes, she is afraid. Depression may develop over time. She may feel guilty thinking that this is her fault and that she has done wrong to her husband. She can offer his partner a divorce. She thinks she’s the only woman ever had this problem. Usually, a woman cannot be opened to anyone and loses her self-confidence and hates herself. The fear of not having children is added to all this.
What are the principles of vaginismus treatment?
Vaginismus is seen in one out of 10 women whose sex life is active in our country. Vaginismus is actually one of the most gratifying sexual problems.
Treatment varies from patient to patient, the underlying cause of each patient is different, and in fact, vaginismus treatment is a personalized treatment. The first thing to do is to consult the physician.
Although vaginismus is a problem in women, this problem is the common problem of the couple. Getting support from the spouse makes the treatment easier and shortens the treatment period. After vaginismus treatment in men, sexuality, erectile problems can be seen. Therefore, the presence of the spouse during the sessions prevents such situations.
In the treatment of vaginismus, no surgical intervention or interventional procedure is usually required.
Vaginismus Treatment
First, the external genital examination of the woman is performed: the structure of the hymen and whether there is a condition that prevents vaginal access.
In the first interviews, it is also checked whether there is a conflict in the couple relationship and if necessary, resolved. Because the sexuality of the spouse and sexual behavior characteristics of the spouse may cause problems and treatment can be difficult.
Afterwards, basic information about sexuality is given and the couple’s false information and beliefs are corrected. A woman with vaginismus and her partner are first told about the anatomy of the sexual organs and the physiology of sexual responses with the help of models and videos.
Women with vaginismus may have feelings such as “irritability, anger, guilt, sinfulness, worry, frustration or fear leyen that prevent them from having a happy and painless sexual intercourse and help to solve the problem.
By changing the misbehavior, exercises called “love games“ are recommended. In fact, they are guided to learn the double “art of making love te.
Behavioral therapies are most commonly used in vaginismus treatments: it includes many learning-oriented practical exercises. The purpose of vaginismus exercises is to enable the person to recognize his or her genital organs, to teach the mind to control the vaginal muscles and to relax the vaginal muscles with correct movements. These are “leg-opening exercises, relaxation with breathing techniques, Kegel exercises, finger exercises and dilator exercises”. The purpose of all these exercises is to teach the patient that her vagina is extremely flexible and that a foreign body can enter the vagina.
The problem of vaginismus is individual and therefore its treatment should be tailored to the source of the problem.
By carrying out all these stages together, the couple is provided with a healthy and happy sexuality as soon as possible.