VAGINISMUS.
I know a lot of people have never heard the word VAGINISMUS. Most ladies who suffer from this conditions are totally unaware of the condition. Well that’s what Mahogany stands for, to help shed light to you as you walk down the path of discovering your sexuality.
So what is VAGINISMUS?
A condition where your vagina close up, making penetration physically impossible. When a woman has vaginismus, her vagina muscles spasms or squeeze shut against everything from penis to tampon, making penetration very uncomfortable or extremely painful.
The exact cause of vaginismus is still unknown but factors such as the ones listed below are likely cause.
- Sexual abuse
- Fear of pain
- Urinary tract infection and STIs
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Negative emotional towards sexual stimulation
- Strict conservative moral education towards sex
- Fear of unwanted pregnancy
- Lack of trust for your sexual partner
- Lack of sufficient lubrication before penetration. Etc.
Painful sex is often a woman’s first sign that she has vaginismus, the pain happens only with penetration but usually goes away after withdrawal, but not always.
THERAPY
The first step in dealing with Vaginismus is to realize that your body belongs to you and you control it. Next you need to RELAX and GET RID of those negative and scary stories you might have heard about sex while growing up. For people who have been sexual abuse, this might not be easy so you might need some form of counseling or some other form of therapy.
The word RELAX cannot be overemphasized here, cause this is the major step to helping you gain control of your body from Vaginismus.
- Kegel exercise helps: Kegel exercise is done by squeezing the muscle you use to stop the flow of urine while urinating. First you squeeze the muscle, next you hold for 2-5 seconds, and then you relax the muscle and repeat. You could do about 20 exercises as many times a day as you want to.
- Know your body: Getting familiar with your vagina is really important. For this exercise please make sure your nails are clean, and it is a good idea to clip your fingernails and have a lubrication jelly. You might want to do it in the bathroom where water can be the natural lubricant.
Start by inserting one finger all the way to your knuckle. As you do this, you should feel the muscles of your vagina wall contract against your finger. Relax, this is very normal. As you get comfortable, you can go all the way down, with time and as you get pretty comfortable with the sensation, you would be able to work your way up to 3 fingers. You could also get vagina dilators for this exercise. These come in different sizes, so find what works for you.
- Talk to your partner: It is really important that you communicate this issue with your partner, so that they understand the need to get you relaxed and comfortable as possible before before penetration. It will also prepare them for episodes of Vaginismus you get during sex. For me I just add some booze to the mix.
- Use contraceptive: If you are worried about getting pregnant, you can use a condom, or use a birth control pill or any form of contraceptives that you are comfortable with.
- Practice safe sex: If you are worried about contracting some sort of STIs or disease from your partner, practice safe sex.
So follow these therapies patiently and soon vaginismus would be a thing of the past.
