Tuesday 21 August 2012

Vaginismus

Women who have blocked
intercourse, also known as
vaginismus, are unable to have
penetrative sex.
What is vaginismus?
Vaginismus is a psychological
condition that manifests itself in a
powerful physical response.
Whenever there's an attempt to
penetrate the vagina the muscles
surrounding the entrance go into
involuntary spasm.
Some women may be easily aroused
and enjoy regular orgasms - but for
some reason, intercourse isn't
possible. Others, however, may have
little sexual interest and a lot of fears
and anxieties about penetration.
Some women will have had the
condition all their adult lives, for
others it may have occurred after a
trauma or in a particular
relationship. Either way, vaginismus
can have a devastating effect on
quality of life. Not only do they find it
more difficult to enjoy love-making,
but the inability to be penetrated
makes the decision to start a family
very difficult.
Causes and risk factors
There are many causes, though
none are physical. If you've suffered
painful intercourse in the past, then
vaginismus may be an unconscious
response to avoid more pain.
Broadly speaking, the common
psychological causes can be split into
three categories:
Personal issues about sex. Some
women are brought up believing
it’s a bad and dangerous thing.
There may have been very
powerful cultural or religious
taboos that left you with feelings
of guilt or shame whenever you
felt any sexual desire. Puberty
may have been associated with
feeling dirty or embarrassed or if
there was inadequate sex
education, women can grow up
feeling that it's physically
impossible to be penetrated.
Previous traumatic experiences. If,
at any stage in your life, you've
experienced a traumatic incident
associated with your sexuality or
your genital area, you may have
developed vaginismus as a
protective response to further
hurt. For some, vaginismus comes
in the aftermath of a rape or
sexual abuse. Contact Rape Crisis
for help and advice if you have
been raped or sexually assaulted
recently or in the past.
Relationship problems. There may
be unresolved anxieties between
you and your partner that may be
causing or at least contributing to
the problem. If you're unhappy
about something in your
relationship, talk it through and
try to resolve the issue.
Treatment and recovery
The good news is that vaginismus is
a treatable condition once
appropriate help has been found.
Your GP will help you understand
what's causing the problem and
how best to tackle it.

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