Vaginismus Treatment
Sexual dysfunctions are situations that people cannot easily express and hesitate to ask for help. However, the disorders that undermine sexual life do not only cause physical distress to the person; It can damage relationships, marriages, and lead to loss of self-confidence and psychological problems.
One of the common sexual disorders in women is vaginismus. Vaginismus, which causes painful sexual intercourse, is a disease that can be treated with different approaches.
What is Vaginismus?
Vaginismus, with a prevalence of 5-17% in the community, is a sexual dysfunction that occurs due to involuntary contractions of the muscles at the entrance of the vagina. Vaginismus causes sexual intercourse not to occur at all or to be difficult and painful.
Vaginismus should not be confused with sexual reluctance. In this disorder, the woman feels sexual desire, but involuntary contractions cause the sexuality not to be experienced as desired.
Vaginismus is often a mental illness. If it is not treated, it causes problems in the relationships and marriages of the couples from the first night.
What Causes Vaginismus?
There are many different causes of vaginismus. We can consider the most common causes of this disorder in two groups as psychological and physiological.
Psychological reasons:
First night fear
Stress and anxiety
Being exposed to traumatic events such as sexual harassment, abuse, violence
Misconceptions about sexuality
incompatibility between spouses
Physiological reasons:
Physical traumas
Vaginal infections
Traumatic births, abortion-like gynecological procedures
Vulvar vestibulitis disease
Due to the loss of moisture and elasticity of the vagina during menopause, the pain felt during sexual intercourse turns into vaginismus over time.
Vagina is shorter than normal
Having a curtain in the vagina
Structural disorders of the hymen. E.g; being thicker and harder than normal, having high edges, etc.
Bartholins cyst and abscess
Pelvic inflammatory disorders
What Are the Symptoms of Vaginismus?
The main symptom of vaginismus is contraction during sexual intercourse. Other symptoms are:
Feeling pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia)
Failure or very difficult sexual intercourse due to contractions and pain
Pain during gynecological examination
Inability to use tampons due to pain.
How is vaginismus treated?
Cognitive and behavioral methods are used in the treatment of vaginismus. In addition to these methods, applications such as hypnosis, acupuncture, NLP, finger exercises can also be applied. Lets see what people who are treated for vaginismus benefit from?
What are the vaginismus treatment methods?
1. Sex therapy
The most effective treatment method of vaginismus with scientifically proven success is sexual therapy. Vaginismus therapy is mostly done in the form of a couple interview. First of all, the sexual life history is learned and the concerns of the couple are investigated.
Information about false beliefs, truths, sexual organs and physiology is given. Fears about contraction are addressed, and the patient is supported with exercises done at home.
Close to 100% improvement is seen with appropriate sexual therapy treatment. However, psychological disorders and additional sexual problems can complicate the treatment. Apart from couple therapy, individual interviews can also be done. Those who defeated vaginismus benefited greatly from sexual therapy.
2. Insertion and expansion exercises
Vaginismus exercise is a method that really works. In vaginismus, a habit is gained against painful penetration during sexual intercourse. Placement and enlargement trainings are performed with the vaginismus apparatus called a vaginal dilator.
3. Sex education and counseling
It includes a section where detailed information about the causes, symptoms and treatment of vaginismus is given and it is aimed to expand the patient's perspective. Education is also given on the anatomy of the reproductive system.
4. Emotional therapy
It includes interviews with the therapist. Emotional therapy aims to identify and resolve fears and various traumas that may lead to vaginismus by the patient.
5. Pelvic floor exercises
Kegel exercises are recommended for those with vaginismus to control the muscles and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
For this purpose, exercises are carried out to tighten and relax the muscles that control the bladder, rectum and vagina. It is ensured that the patient learns to voluntarily contract and relax the vagina. Exercises have a very important place in the treatment of vaginismus. Thanks to Kegel exercises, many people beat vaginismus at home.
6. Finger exercises
Vaginismus is a disease that is also treated with finger exercises. Finger exercises are among the most common homework assignments given to patients in vaginismus therapy clinics. However, there are clinics and specialists who do not recommend this method, as the majority of patients are repulsive and have difficulty in having intercourse even if they are successful in finger exercise.
In this, I can't do vaginismus finger exercise. It is also effective that there are many women who say so. Thanks to modern sexual therapy techniques, it is possible to overcome vaginismus without finger exercises.
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