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Dr. Patricia Gutiérrez performing vaginismus treatment surgery[/et_pb_text]
Vaginismus is the difficulty in performing sexual intercourse or vaginal penetration during gynecological examinations or during menstruation for the use of a tampon.
In vaginismus there is a strong involuntary contraction of the muscles surrounding the vagina. This contraction produces a contracture and causes any type of penetration to be extremely painful.
It may manifest as discomfort, a burning sensation, or intense pain at the time of penetration, insertion of a tampon or during a gynecological examination.
Vaginismus usually appears in adolescence, when sexual intercourse begins, and it is in these cases when it is considered primary. It is considered primary when sexual intercourse has not been maintained.
It can also occur at older ages, especially at menopause in women who have not had sexual intercourse problems throughout their lives.
Vaginismus is considered secondary when it appears after sexual intercourse.
The causes of vaginismus can be organic and related to genital pathology:
- Hypertrophic or cribriform hymen
- Endometriosis
- Hemorrhoids, tumors, scars.
- Alterations in the vulva
The most frequent causes of vaginismus are usually psychological:
- Anxiety before penetration or gynecologic examination
- Fear of pain, fear of becoming pregnant
- Previous negative or traumatic sexual relations
- Rape or abuse
- Strict religious education.
- Low self-esteem and/or depression
Diagnosis of vaginismus
The diagnosis of vaginismus is clinical: it is diagnosed by the symptoms presented by the patient and by gynecological examination.
Patients report pain, burning, pinching in the introitus (entrance of the vagina) along with the impossibility of having sexual intercourse, performing a complete gynecological examination or inserting a tampon.
Treatment of vaginismus
Vaginismus is a sexual dysfunction that does not usually resolve without help or spontaneously. However, with treatment, the success rate is very high.
We approach treatment from three fronts:
- On the patient’s side: daily exercises with silicone dilators after medical treatment to desensitize the genital area so that the patient does not have pain when inserting the dilators.
- Support and guidance from a psychologist specialized in sexology.
- Botulinum toxin infiltration under sedation into the affected muscles surrounding the vagina.
After the medical treatment, you start after 48-72 hours with the daily exercises that we give you on a regular basis. These exercises help to desensitize the vulvar area and you do not have pricks, pain or burning so characteristic of vaginismus.
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More information:
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