Hi

Vaginismus is when a woman gets involuntary tightening of the muscles around the vagina whenever penetration is attempted. This can make it painful to insert anything into the vagina and very frustrating for the person mentally.

Vaginismus is common and can be treated. There are a number of different reasons why this can happen e.g. past experiences, physical conditions, psychological concerns etc…

Like you have suggested counselling can be very beneficial, I would recommend seeing a counsellor that specializes in sexual health. If the cause of your concern is mainly psychological they would be able to work out a treatment program for you. Even if it is a physical condition that is causing the problem they would be able to offer you support during the process.

The first thing you would need to do is to see a health professional about this so that they could do an assessment to see what could be causing the problem. Visiting your family doctor would be a good start. Many cities have specialist that your doctor could refer you to for a detailed assessment and treatment plan.

We know that for many people it can be embarrassing talking to health professionals about sexual health matters. Just remember that the concern you have described is common and there are health professionals trained to deal with this.

I am not sure what area you live in, but if you are in BC Canada and would like assistance finding a health professional who can assist you, just send us a private question. All your information is confidential and we could assist with finding a health professional for you.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse

For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.