What is vaginismus, a disorder that causes the vagina to close during sex

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Sex is supposed to be a pleasant experience for both men and women. However, for some women, sex is something terrible because they always feel pain every time they have sex, caused by the vaginal muscles tightening and closing each time penetration. If you also experience this, chances are you have your vagina.

What is vaginismus?

Vaginismus is a sexual dysfunction that occurs in the vagina. The vaginal muscles will tighten or tighten when you get a touch on the vaginal area. This can be a big psychological problem for you and your partner, if not addressed. Sexual dysfunction can hinder a person when they want to get married and build a household, and can make a person insecure about a relationship.

What are the signs and symptoms of vaginismus?

Each patient may have different symptoms, for example, there are women whose vagina cannot be touched at all, so they cannot have penetrative sex because the muscles in the vagina will close completely. Meanwhile, there are also those who can tolerate some touch, such as the touch of a pad on the vagina. There are also those who are able to have sex, but will experience excruciating pain. Some of the pain subsided after sex was over, some were still felt until the sex was over.

Another opinion states that there are some sufferers who can enjoy sexual satisfaction - they can masturbate, have oral sex with their partner, or other intimacy, some can even reach orgasm with these things, but what they can't do is have penetrative sex.

Vaginismus can be caused due to trauma, so that people with vaginismus refuse to have sex, because they already imagine the pain that will be felt. In fact, there are those who experience a loss of sexual desire when trying to have penetrative sex. This is due to the discomfort.

What causes vaginismus?

There are several factors that contribute to the development of vaginismus, but there is no clear explanation that vaginismus should occur. Some of these factors are:

• Think negatively about sexual relationships. This can be due to trauma or the mindset that was formed when he was growing up. Or, due to the lack of sex education and discussion about sex, there is a conceptual assumption in women's minds that sex is painful. Not to mention, the "rumors" that have spread in society, from ear to ear, that the first time you have sex will be painful.
• Sexual Violence. This can cause trauma to make an impression on a woman's mind. Sexual intercourse is something intimate, there is coercion making a person lose power over himself, because intimacy is something that must get approval from both parties. The impact can be to blame himself for being a victim. Based on psychological knowledge, if trauma remains, slowly it will also settle in a person's subconscious mind. The victim will also experience flashbacks, when he sees or feels something that stimulates his brain to remember the painful incident. Then the brain sends a response to protect itself.
• There is "damage" to the vagina, one example of which is a tear that cannot be healed after childbirth.
• The presence of painful conditions around the vagina, such as symptoms of vulvodynia; the sensation of burning and stinging, the pain can be worse when the patient sits.
• Fear of getting pregnant. This kind of thinking can also be caused by a lack of education about sex, that the risk of pregnancy is always there when having intercourse, but the process of conception is not that easy. The brain sends signals to the body as protection from "threatening things".
• Relationship problems. This could be due to a lack of openness or trust in your partner. The accumulation of problems in a relationship also affects sexual relations.

How is vaginismus treated?

You can consult a doctor, besides that you can also do some exercises at home. Its purpose is to relax the muscles around the vagina. First, you can do Kegel exercises, this exercise is also recommended for pregnant women who are about to give birth. Have you ever held urine? Exercising is done is by doing muscle tightening, the same as when you hold your pee. Hold for two to 10 seconds, then relax the muscles. Do it 20 times, but if you want to do it as often as possible, that's fine too.

Then, after you have done Kegel exercises, the next day, you can try to insert your finger - about one knuckle of yours, into your vagina while doing Kegel exercises. You can do this exercise in the shower, so that the water can lubricate your vagina. Don't forget to pay attention to the cleanliness of your nails first! If your vaginal muscles contract when you insert your finger, you can stop, but try to do it again when you get a little comfortable.

If the cause of your vaginismus is psychological problems such as trauma and certain fears, you can consult a therapist. This helps you to heal the root of your fear. Don't hesitate to talk to experts because sexual dysfunction can damage the harmony between you and your partner.