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The Need to Knows of Vaginismus

Have you heard of VAGINISMUS? This is a pain that you do not have to…

Have you heard of VAGINISMUS? This is a pain that you do not have to live with.

 

This is the umbrella term for the involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor when something tries to enter your vagina. This could be a tampon or a penis or anything in between. The pain experienced by those suffering from this also has a range from slight discomfort or tightness to a stabbing sensation that you can’t get through. This can lead women to avoid sexual intercourse out of fear, pain or failure of previous attempts.

 

What causes it?

 

The limbic system in our brains is responsible for perceiving our sensory information (touch) and controlling reactive bodily functions. In the case of vaginismus, the involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles is due to an overreaction of the limbic system. This in turn can cause hypertonic (tight) pelvic floor muscles that are unable to relax to allow an object inside or hypersensitive nerve endings that become too stimulated upon touch.

 

As a Naturopath and a Pelvic Floor Therapist, I take a full body approach, assessing your pelvic floor muscles for dysfunction as well as looking for internal sources of inflammation and working with you on your emotional reaction to touch to get you back to enjoying your sex life or using a tampon, whichever is your goal!