Latoya Grindley, Gleaner Writer

Do you experience extreme discomfort during sex or find it impossible to have sexual intercourse through vaginal penetration? If the answer is yes, you could be suffering from vaginismus, also referred to as, blocked intercourse. Vaginismus is a sexual dysfunction which causes the vaginal muscles to go into involuntary spasms, causing the vagina to tighten when vaginal penetration is attempted.

According to Dr Keisha Buchanan at Gynae Associates, it is believed that this sexual dysfunction is attributed to psychological factors. Some of these factors could be due to trauma, social upbringing, as well as rape and other forms of sexual abuse. Dr Buchanan says this condition causes intense pain and discomfort upon penetration and, in severe cases, sexual intercourse can become impossible.

Two types

There are two types of vaginismus. First, there is primary vaginismus where a woman has never been able to have pain-free sexual intercourse. Primary vaginismus is mostly experienced when a woman attempts to have sex for the first time. At this time, the partner is unable to penetrate or finds it extremely difficult as the entry to the vagina is 'blocked'. Some women in this category could also experience problems in inserting and wearing a tampon.

The other type is called secondary vaginismus where, following years of pleasurable sex, the condition develops. The symptoms include burning sensations during penetration or the inability to penetrate. This is usually caused by medical and psychological or physical conditions.

Relationship problems

Vaginismus can lead to relationship problems, as well as depression and distress. However, the good news is that it can be treated. Dr Buchanan says there are a number of ways which can be used to treat the sexual dysfunction, one of which is psychotherapy.

The duration of treatment depends on the individual, how receptive she is and her psychological state. The gynaecologist says while she has no figures to support, vaginismus is not common and she has not come across any cases of it in recent times.

Vaginismus does not go away until it is properly addressed. The pain or discomfort that is associated with vaginismus usually continues until the woman learns how to control the pelvic floor muscle triggers that tighten the vaginal opening.

Additional source: www.vaginismus.com

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com

Seven signs that you may have vaginismus

1 You experience difficult or impossible penetration.

2 Burning or stinging andtightness during sex.

3 Ongoing sexual discomfort or pain following childbirth, yeast/urinary infections, sexually transmitted infections, rape, cancer or other problems.

4 Sexual pain of unknown origin or with no apparent cause.

5 Difficulty inserting tampons or undergoing a pelvic/gynaecological exam.

6 Spasms in other body muscle groups (legs, lower back, etc) or halted breathing during attempts at intercourse.

7 Avoidance of sex due to pain and/or failure.

Source: www.vaginismus.com