Causes and Treatment of Vaginismus

Vaginismus is a relatively rare condition found in women and is characterized by involuntary contraction of the muscles which surround the vaginal opening. While the vagina is normally kept closed by the sphincter guarding it, it relaxes during sex, medical examination, insertion of tampon and childbirth. However, the opening of the vagina remains tightly closed if a woman has vaginismus.

Vaginismus is not otherwise a painful condition and pain is felt only while insertion into the vagina. This prevents women afflicted with vaginismus from enjoying a satisfactory sex life. The severity of the condition is widely varied too with a few women being able to use tampons or to allow the doctor to examine them internally while being unable to have proper sex. In extreme cases, the woman is unable to do anything that entails relaxation of the vaginal muscles.

Causes- It is necessary to understand that vaginismus  does not occur due to abnormality of the genital organs. Frequently, the symptoms of vaginismus can be similar to certain physical disorders like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease or Bartholin cysts all of which  lead to painful penetration during sex.

Trauma during sex or prior experience of painful intercourse can lead to an unnatural fear of sex which results in vaginismus. Forcible or traumatic pelvic examination may also put off the woman from sex completely and her body will rebel by showing symptoms of vaginismus.
Strong inhibitions or deeply religious beliefs which consider sex as taboo may also be responsible for the condition.

Treatment- The treatment for vaginismus involves a number of therapeutic sessions which aim to eliminate the fear of sex from the mind of the patient. Proper sex education which include both anatomy and physiology classes may actually help to dispel undue fear from the psyche of the patient. Vagina dialation exercises with the aid of a plastic dilator may help to make the muscles relax after a period of time. Psychological counseling should be undertaken in order to eliminate vaginismus completely.