After a normal and often enjoyable foreplay, the woman begins to feel anxiety, fear and a state of panic when faced with the man's desire for sexual intercourse, and the muscles at the entrance of the vagina and other parts of the body begin to contract. Thinking that she will suffer, the woman eventually rejects her husband; She closes her legs tightly and pushes her partner, thus ending the intercourse.
This vaginal reflex, which manifests itself as an involuntary contraction of the PC muscle, occurs not only during sexual intercourse, but also during the woman's gynecological examination, in case of use of tampons or any intervention in the vagina such as inserting a finger into the vagina.
In this case, it is not possible for anything to enter the vagina and any attempt at intervention is extremely uncomfortable or impossible. Because the muscles that contract voluntarily and involuntarily are like a "wall" preventing entry.
As soon as the vaginismus problem ends, all these contractions will stop spontaneously in a very short time and the body will return to its normal state.
Why is sexual intercourse (penetration) not possible?
In sexual intercourse, the process of entering the penis into the vagina after foreplay is called "coitus". It is called "penetration)".
Sexual intercourse; It is an activity that involves many conditioned responses. When everything is in perfect harmony with your partner, you can act as if your body is on autopilot and have very enjoyable experiences. However, couples may not be able to achieve this harmony and satisfaction in their first relationship; because this adaptation is a feature that can be learned. The nervous and muscular system will learn this harmony and will easily remember the relevant behaviors.
Normally, after the first few sexual experiences, sexual intercourse becomes much more satisfying and enjoyable. The body and mind allow penile entry and learn sexual intercourse as a positive expectation. As a result of these healthy messages, behaviors towards sexual intercourse also cause sexual excitement.
In women with vaginismus problems, the body and mind never have a common and positive attitude towards sexual intercourse. Doesn't have any experience. The negative sexual messages in these women are very diverse and these messages are sent by the vaginal muscles. It is a trigger for the scar to contract like a reflex response.
Thus; sexual intercourse becomes impossible and any vaginal attempt is painful. This pain settles into the memory of the vaginal muscle, causing it to contract during any attempt, making the event painful or impossible.
In addition, any painful intervention causes this memory to become stronger. When this situation occurs, even though the woman says "I want sexual intercourse with my partner", in each attempted relationship the man feels like he has "hit himself against a wall" and the woman feels like she has "completely lost control over her own body".
Vagina The surrounding strong PC muscle plays a key role in the functioning of both the reproductive system and the urinary system. These muscles function in many functions, from urination to birth, and they connect to the skeleton by drawing a line from the urethra, where urine comes out, to the anus, which is the large intestine outlet.
In the problem of vaginismus, during sexual intercourse, the PC muscle works involuntarily, without conscious thought, and closes the entrance to the vagina. Thus, the relationship ends in failure.
In a successful vaginismus treatment; The aim is to re-exercise these muscles and eliminate contractions. We can also say that the basic element in the treatment is "re-establishing muscle memory".
What are the causes of vaginismus?
Vaginismus Among the reasons, the most common reason is psychological concerns.
Vaginismus is usually caused by bad sexual experience in the past or unnecessary fears engraved in the subconscious.
Among the psychological reasons, there are inheritance from childhood. Fears, living in an extremely rigid social order, strict moral rules and taboos, concepts such as guilt, shame and sin settling in the subconscious, misinformation and prejudices about sexuality and the first sexual experience, subconscious fear of the penis entering the body, etc. There are psychological reasons.
Especially in societies like ours, young girls are taught since their childhood. Women who are exposed to thoughts such as "the hymen is a very valuable structure that needs to be protected" or "the hymen is a very sensitive and painful area" and rigid attitudes on this issue are more at risk.
Also, during childhood, women are at greater risk. Bad experiences and memories during the period (abuse or rapes, domestic violence, strict parental attitudes) can also lead to vaginismus.
I have never had a vaginismus problem before. > Vaginismus may also develop in those who do not have it as a result of bad experiences (such as birth, miscarriage, abortion, a harsh gynecological examination).
Sometimes, couples Lack of knowledge about sexuality, false beliefs and prejudices about the first intercourse can also bring fear and panic, leading to vaginismus.
Again, sometimes, relapses (recurrence of the problem) occur in people who have previously been treated.
As stated before, anxiety-fears about sexuality and sexual intercourse often lie deep down (subconsciously), and the contraction of the PC muscles acts like a defense system that protects the woman from this feared situation.
In order to overcome unnecessary fears in the subconscious, appropriate psychological support should be provided to women and men to relax, relax, and create a spiritual environment that will calm excitement and fears.
Some women may not have any of the reasons listed above. Vaginismus can also frequently develop in women who had a very comfortable childhood. This is called "vaginismus of unknown or undetermined cause".
Fortunately, in order to solve the vaginismus problem, the underlying cause(s) It is not necessary to find it. The important thing is to achieve "re-establishment of muscle memory".
Who are the people prone to vaginismus?
Especially childish, family-dependent and spiritual Women who have not completed their organization in a healthy way constitute the risk group. The possibility of vaginismus problems also increases in this group, especially in people with high socioeconomic levels. from childhood It becomes easier for this disorder to occur in individuals who experience anxiety. The fears are mostly the fear of being in a lot of pain and being torn apart because of a penis that the woman has symbolically enlarged in her mind.
Fears of pregnancy may also cause problems. Environments where the view of sexuality is conservative are also risk factors.
Do structural problems of the genital organs cause vaginismus?
Individuals interested in this subject False prejudices and invalid taboos may trigger this situation. Vaginismus occurs unrelated to the anatomical structure of the genital organs.
There is generally no such concept as "My vagina is too small (or too narrow) so I cannot have intercourse", because the vagina is quite large. It is a flexible structure and can expand to accommodate a child's 10 cm head at birth. It is natural for these women to think this way even though they have no structural abnormalities.
In addition, there are other diseases such as Vulvar Vestibulitis and PID, which cause painful intercourse, such as vaginismus. Therefore, whether the cause of painful sexual intercourse is vaginismus or other reasons should be well defined with a gynecological examination before starting treatment. Thus, the most appropriate treatment approach will be chosen.
Is vaginismus an obstacle to pregnancy?
Vaginismus only It prevents sexual intercourse, that is, penetration. Pregnancy may occur as a result of the swimming ability of sperm poured into the vaginal opening. However, the chance of pregnancy is less than normal.
Even if vaginismus cannot be treated, can we have a baby with infertility treatments?
This is theoretically. Although it is possible with insemination (IUI, Insemination) or in vitro fertilization treatments, it is an unnecessary procedure. Because vaginismus is a problem that is 100% treatable if the treatments are continued in our clinic.
Also, getting pregnant and giving birth to children is not the only purpose of marriage. A healthy sexual sharing is of great importance for the beautiful continuation of family unity.
Types of Vaginismus
Primary Vaginismus: It is the inability to have sexual intercourse even once. Most of the patients are in this group, that is, they are still virgins despite years of marriage.
Secondary (Secondary) Vaginismus: After a sexual trauma (an eventful birth, abortion, miscarriage, a harsh experience) when a healthy relationship was previously possible. Vaginismus is a condition that develops as a result of gynecological examination, harassment and rape. It is a rare condition.
Aparonychia: It is the inability of the individual to have sexual intercourse due to some physical obstacles. Vaginismus is also a type of apareunia.
Dyspareunia: Feeling pain during sexual intercourse. Sometimes this may be the underlying cause of secondary vaginismus. If you have painful sexual intercourse, the underlying cause may not always be vaginismus. Because 70% of dyspareunia is due to gynecological causes.
Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome (VVS, Vulvar Vestibulitis): As a result of extreme sensitivity in the lower part of the hymen It is a syndrome related to the emergence of complaints such as vaginismus, dyspareunia and anorgasmia (inability to orgasm). The definitive diagnosis can be easily made by the sensitivity and redness of this area to touch in a gynecological examination after the patient's statement that intercourse is painful or not at all.
The exact cause of vulvar vestibulitis syndrome is unknown. In its treatment, removing the skin tissue in the painful area with a simple surgical operation can completely eliminate the problem.
What are the differences between vaginismus and frigidity?
Although the feeling of shame and sin is at the forefront in frigidity, The basic problem manifests itself as "not enjoying sexual intercourse". However, in vaginismus, there is generally no reluctance to have sexual intercourse and the feeling of being harmed during intercourse is at the forefront.
A woman with vaginismus has sexual desire and vaginal wetting during lovemaking, but sexual intercourse cannot be achieved even if desired.
Most women with vaginismus have never had intercourse, meaning they are still virgins. along with this
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