Experiencing pain during sexual intercourse? There are chances one might have vaginismus. According to a survey, one percent of women suffer from this condition.
This comprehensive article provides all the information about vaginismus shared by Dr. Chaitali Mahajan Trivedi, one of the best Female Sexologists in Mumbai. Keep reading for more insights.
What is Vaginismus?
Vaginismus is a condition involving a spasm of the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles are the muscles that surround the vagina, rectum, or bladder. These muscles are spasmed or frozen in contraction when vaginismus is present. As a result, having sexual relations is more unpleasant and difficult. In some cases of vaginismus, intercourse is difficult because the muscles are painfully tight or spasmed. In addition, some women feel discomfort during gynecological exams or when using tampons. This happens when women with vaginismus try to attempt objects into their vaginas.
What are the Common Symptoms of Vaginismus?
One might have vaginismus if they have experienced vaginal blockage, tightness or pain. However, one should be aware of the different symptoms of this condition. Here are the common ones:
Painful sexual intercourse with a feeling of having a tight vagina
Impossible or painful penetration
Painful insertion of tampon
A feeling of vaginal blockage
Painful gynecology exams
Experiencing muscle spasms during sexual intercourse
While some women report intense agony, others say it is just mildly felt. Some patients indicate that the sensation is slightly uncomfortable, while others describe it as burning.
It's important to remember that vaginismus does not prevent one from feeling sexually aroused. That includes experiencing normal orgasms. The condition can cause anxiety before and during sex and stop individuals from having vaginal penetration. If one wants to learn more about vaginismus, one can book a consultation with Dr. Chaitali Mahajan Trivedi, a renowned Sexologist for females in Mumbai at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital.
What Causes Vaginismus?
Doctors are not sure about the reason behind vaginismus. Perhaps there can be a wide range of contributing factors. The condition impacts the functioning of PC (pubococcygeus) muscles. Both genders have these muscle groups that stretch from the tailbone to the pelvic floor. These muscles help in urination, vaginal delivery, sexual intercourse and orgasm. Women with vaginismus know they are experiencing penetration, and the body anticipates pain and tightening of PC muscles. Penetration is challenging due to the tightness and persistent efforts to force it to cause pain.
Emotional causes that cause fear of penetration:
Worrying that they might conceive
Guilt over attempting intercourse
Performance anxiety
Having sex with someone who is abusive
Feeling unsafe
Trauma like physical abuse
Physical causes that cause vaginismus:
Yeast infections
Endometriosis
Cancer or other conditions that make sex painful
Vaginal dryness and symptoms caused by menopause
Lack of foreplay
Side effects of medications
Many women experience sexual dysfunction as a result of physical and emotional problems. The anxiety may persist even after women have resolved their physical issues due to the fear of painful penetration.
What are the Risk Factors of Vaginismus?
Although the exact cause of vaginismus is still unknown, some risk factors include prior surgeries, infections, or birth-related injuries like vaginal tears. Other psychological risk factors include anxiety disorders and negative feelings about sex, possibly brought on by past sexual trauma, which are both associated with vaginismus. Individuals are more likely to develop vaginismus if they have had a painful first encounter or relationship issues.
How Can Vaginismus be Treated?
Dr. Chaitali Mahajan Trivedi provides various treatments for vaginismus available at Nanavati Superspeciality Hospital that can help women live healthy and pain-free sexual life.
Vaginismus is entirely treatable. As every woman’s body is unique, the duration of the treatment will vary. The therapy combines psychosexual education, slow and measured practice, and pelvic floor exercises.
If the cause is an infection, the condition can be treated with appropriate medication.
If the cause is psychological, sex therapy is advised in the form of counseling or CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy). These treatments can help to address any underlying psychological issues, such as fear or anxiety. Vaginismus can place massive stress on someone’s relationship and sex life, but therapy can help them overcome it. This is important for people who are about to start their families.
Having a bath, massage, or following breathing exercises are great ways to relax. One might learn to relax the vaginal muscles by practicing relaxation techniques, including breathing and mild exercises.
The treatment offered by Dr. Chaitali also teaches a technique known as progressive relaxation. This relaxes the body's different muscles in a particular order and relaxes pelvic floor muscles.
One must make sure they are fully aroused before attempting penetration. Gaining control over the muscles that cause the vagina to close involuntarily can be accomplished by pelvic floor exercises, including squeezing and releasing the pelvic floor muscles.
Laser for vaginal rejuvenation offered by Dr. Chaitali Mahajan Trivedi has also been very effective in treating vaginismus.
Consult the Expert Surgeon
For many women, vaginismus is associated with anxiety, and physical treatment alone might not be enough. The thought that one may not be able to conceive through intercourse is a major cause of concern in women. Although this condition might be complicated to discuss with the doctor, it is important to get a suitable treatment to get rid of it. If one faces a problem, one should take help from the doctor to overcome the issue and achieve a healthy sexual life. If one has questions about their course of treatment, or if one is experiencing symptoms or is suffering from vaginismus, one can consult Dr. Chaitali Mahajan Trivedi at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital to get an effective treatment.
She offers other procedures such as vaginal tightening, labiaplasty, PCOD treatment, hymenoplasty, etc. To avail the benefits of these procedures, book a consultation with an expert gynecologist at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital. Pay a visit!