WOMEN’S
the task to talk about it and seek help for it. But as we
have already established, that could be the dilemma of
any woman belonging to any class. Now a little about
what the problem: Vaginismus is an unconscious spasm
or tightening of the muscles around the vagina which
stops penetration. When a woman has Vaginismus, her
vagina’s muscles squeeze or spasm when something is
entering her, like a tampon or a penis. It can range from
being mildly uncomfortable to being extremely painful.
Painful sex is often the first sign that a woman has Vaginismus. The pain happens only with penetration. It usually goes away after withdrawal, but not in all cases and
not always. Women over the world have described the
pain as a tearing sensation or a feeling like the man is
‘hitting a wall’. Many women who have Vaginismus also
feel discomfort during a doctor’s internal pelvic exam.
Causes: Doctors do not know exactly why Vaginismus
happens. It is usually linked to anxiety and fear of having
sex, hence being catagorised under the head of psychosexual issues. But it is unclear whether the anxiety
comes first or the pain comes first. Some women have
the issue in all situations and with any object. Some
feel the pain with sexual intercourse only and not with
tampons or during medical exams. Others have it only
in certain circumstances, like with one partner and not
with others, as narrated by women in many countries. It
would be wise for you to know at this point that if you feel
you suffer from this problem, you can be wrong as well.
Other medical problems like infections can also cause
painful intercourse. So it is important to see a doctor to
determine the underlying cause of pain during sex.
Treatment: Women with Vaginismus can do exercises
in the privacy of their own home, to learn to control and
relax the muscles. The approach is called ‘progressive
desensitization’. The idea is to get comfortable with insertion. Squeeze the same muscles you use to stop the
flow of urine when urinating, hold for two seconds, relax.
Do about 20 at a time. You can do them as many times
a day as you want. After a few days, insert one finger, up
to about the first knuckle joint, inside, while doing the exercises. It is a good idea to clip your fingernails first and
use a lubricating jelly. Or do the exercises in a bathtub,
where water is a natural lubricant. Start with one finger
and work your way up to three. You will feel the vagina’s
muscles contracting around your finger and you can always take your finger out if you are not comfortable. For
women whose Vaginismus is related to fear or anxiety,
therapy helps.
Remember you are not left alone in the world to fend
for yourself, so reach out for help and help a friend who
might be in need and fears to speak out. If your partner
suffers from any psychosexual problem, remember to
treat him or her with the utmost kindness and respect
the other person enough to use discretion, if you want to
solve the issue.
33 | BOOM