Vaginismus; It is a condition in which there are recurring involuntary contractions in the muscles surrounding the vagina during sexual intercourse as a result of fear and anxiety, and sexual intercourse cannot occur. It is a frequently encountered sexual problem all over the world. In our country, on average, one in every ten women experiences vaginismus problem in relationship with their partner. Vaginismus causes the woman to think that her own femininity is lacking and to feel guilty towards her partner.
CAUSES OF VAGINISMUS
Psychological concerns dominate among the most common causes of vaginismus. "Sexuality is bad", "the hymen is something very valuable and must be protected", which girls are taught or our will encodes into our unconscious. thoughts play an important role in the emergence of this problem.
Sometimes, the reason may be lack of sexual knowledge, simple embarrassment and suppression of sexual feelings.
Sometimes, the underlying cause is a traumatic experience, especially in childhood. In this case, today's projections and effects of traumatic events such as abuse experienced in the past, pushed into the unconscious, may cause internal conflicts and disrupt the body-mind integrity, leading to vaginismus.
To summarize the causes of vaginismus;
• Feeling pain at the first sexual attempt.
• Family that devalues and humiliates sexuality
• Weak, powerless mother, oppressive authoritarian father (difficulties in father-daughter relationship)
• Sexual violence and harassment, disgust or dislike
• Forced marriage against will , dislike of spouse, incompatibility with spouse and communication problems
• Fear of failure or performance anxiety
• Sexual taboos, misinformation and beliefs
• Personality disorders
• Low pain threshold
• Problems with vaginal lubrication, not knowing the entry point of the sexual organ
• Perception of women as sexual objects
• Painful gynecological examination experience, vaginal infections
SYMPTOMS OF VAGINISMUS
In vaginismus patients, contractions are seen not only at the entrance of the vagina, but also in the muscles in other parts of the body such as the abdomen, waist, back and legs. These people experience widespread muscle pain in the body following sexual intercourse. � is seen. The prevalence of muscle pain indicates that the vaginismus disease is severe. In some patients, contractions occur only in the vagina area, without spreading to the whole body. Although most vaginal contractions are felt by the patient, they are also noticed by the person's partner. Partners perceive this situation as "a wall blocking the entrance to the vagina". Women often use expressions such as "there is a wall there". These contractions that are out of control; It creates anxiety, fear and a "panic attack-like" situation in women. In the end, the woman rejects the relationship, closes her legs tightly, pushes her partner and ends the relationship. Families need to know about this situation or ask for evidence of the first night or "don't you have a child yet?" Questions like this make the couple's situation difficult. Usually the woman is blamed and the man is asked to end the marriage.
APPROACH TO VAGINISMUS TREATMENT
In vaginismus treatment, a completely personalized treatment plan is required. Wanting to solve the problem and believing that you can do it is an important step in treatment. It has a 100% cure. A treatment program is created based on the story of the vaginismus patient. The participation, support and understanding of the spouses makes a positive contribution to recovery.
First of all, couples must undergo a holistic evaluation, including personality analysis, marital relations, communication levels, thoughts about sexuality and emotional conflicts. Again, information is given on the first night, the first sexual intercourse, and to change the established misconceptions and beliefs about the hymen.
Various exercise programs are performed during the treatment. A few of these are:
-Exercises to get to know your own body,
-Deep relaxation exercises,
-Exercises that help control the pelvic floor muscles are given. These exercises are called "Kegel Exercises" and the conscious control over these muscles is increased. These exercises constitute one of the most important stages of vaginismus treatment.
-Vagina widening exercises.
All of these exercises may make all patients nervous at the beginning of vaginismus treatment. However, when this point is reached gradually, the self-confidence and control of the vaginismus patient increases. With a therapist if necessary Exercises are started and continue with homework. Studying homework well is one of the most important factors affecting the success and duration of treatment. These practices become extremely easy for vaginismus patients who learn to relax thoroughly.
In order to avoid sexual problems such as vaginismus after marriage, patients are advised to have a gynecological examination and receive sexual information beforehand.
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