This sexual disorder prevents any form of penetration of the vagina.
- According to the CNGOF, vaginismus affects approximately 1% of women of childbearing age.
- In some cases, it can be related to physical causes, such as vulvodynia, vulvar pain.
- Support can be physical and psychological.
An involuntary contraction of the muscles that surround the vagina, making sexual intercourse or other medical examinations painful or even impossible: vaginismus is a disabling female sexual disorder.
The World Health Organization defines it as follows:an involuntary, repeated, persistent contraction of the perineal muscles which surround the outer third of the vagina in the event of attempted penetration by the penis, finger, tampon or speculum. It is not an anomaly, but a disorder, which can turn into a vicious circle, “leading the woman who suffers from it to adopt different strategies to avoid any penetration”specifies the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF).
Different types of vaginismus
According to’Association The Keys of Venus, which informs patients and healthcare professionals about vaginismus and dyspareunia, vaginismus is quite common. Affected women all experience this pelvic floor muscle tightening reflex, but the disorder is categorized differently depending on when it occurs.
It is said to be primary when it has always been present. “The primary form represents the most frequent form of vaginismus, specifies the association. It appears at the beginning of a woman’s sexual life.“As for secondary vaginismus, it appears later in life, for various reasons, including sexual violence. Also, the disorder can be global or situational: in the first case, it occurs in all situations, whether in the context of sexual intercourse or a medical examination. the second case, it occurs in specific situations.
How to take care of it?
“The suffering of these women is great, often suffering from a lack of compassion for what seems natural to others; “make an effort” they often heard”indicates the CNGOF. For the women concerned, the subject can become taboo, and they then delay talking about it to the health professionals who follow them. “To the origin of the consultation, we most often find a crisis in the couple, faced with the lack of progress the patient fears for the future of it, sometimes it is the desire for a child that motivates her.“
Whatever the reason for the consultation, appropriate care allows you to free yourself from this disorder, and especially from the received ideas that surround it.Vaginal women often believe that they are “too tight” and that their vagina needs to be stretched”, underlines the association Les Clés de Vénus. In fact, the “treatment“is to re-educate the muscles, to “unlearn this muscle reflex“.
First, the doctor will have to check that there is no physical cause for vaginismus. In its absence, sexual rehabilitation exercises will help overcome this sexual reflex. “You should know that vaginismus is a sexual symptom that can be cured well, women should no longer hesitate to consult “estimates the CNGOF.
.
