Vaginismus

[Hope54321]

Anyone ever experience this condition? Were you ever able to overcome it? Does penetration always hurt?

For me personally, penetration, internal scan and speculum (this doesn’t even go in fully and it’s sooo painful) all hurt.

I haven’t addressed it with any professionals yet and not really sure if I can ever overcome the pain. What type of help have you sought to address vaginismus?

I got botox down there and it completely fixed me. None of the dilator nonsense made any difference.

I went to my GPs aged around 16/7 and was given dilators. This was almost 30 years ago. I don't remember much improvement until I had a relationship with a very sweet natured boy at around 18. The lack of pressure and cannabis seemed to help me relax.
All the best OP

Yes, have managed to conquer it - dilators were useless, cold and unyielding and painful!

I had a lovely (very sex positive) consultant through a sexual health clinic, who advised buying a vibrator instead and going very slowly/gently and taking pressure off actually having penetrative sex but just enjoyment, which for the sex side of things did work.

Medically, she did graded exposure which built from just being in the clinic room to being examined to (eventually) having a coil fitted. Still some level of discomfort but I was able to cope, not half as bad as it had been before.

Yes I had this as a teenager/early 20s, and eventually it seemed to go on its own. I still think it is pretty 'tight' down there sometimes, but I have had 2 kids and a bad tear with the last one that I think was stitched up TOO well. The dilators looked horrendous so I never tried but I was encouraged to use vibrators and my fingers to relax down there.

I had this and managed to cure it completely with dilators.

I bought a whole course online which came with a DVD to watch beforehand and gave lots of info. The steps were to do pelvic floor exercises first for a certain amount of time each day for a few weeks. Then you start with a cotton bud and then the dilator sets. I was AMAZED when I could get the cotton bud in. For me it wasn't that it was painful it was that nothing could go inside me at all. Not a tampon, a finger, nothing. It was like a brick wall. I had many failed attempts at sex as no one could get it in. I went to the doctor for an internal and she FORCED it in and I screamed the place down.

I cried with so much relief and happiness when I managed to get the cotton bud in. The other comments on here say the dilators were useless for them but I was on a forum at the time and constantly read stories from women who it had worked for, and worked for me too. So worth a try

If you don’t mind me asking - where did you go for this?

Following, because my dd suffers from this and can't even have a smear test 😕

I've been sent some dilators. I found the whole process of getting them absolutely hilarious because that's just my sense of humour, but use them I will not. This is psychological and inserting something in myself is laughable IMO.
I am due to get a smear test under GA because of the condition-that may be something you could explore having? And for @ohsuzannah .

To answer your question I have got to a point where things are okay sex-wise. I am a lesbian for context, but being strapped is now okay, however I get nervous with fingers, which makes little sense as it was a strap that caused me the injury that caused the Vaginismus. It's a difficult problem that (at least in my case) penetration during sex has little to do with, of course literally but the psychology behind it has to be addressed first.

Agree with dilators. Dd has them and gets anxious even at the thought of using them 😕

@Mimi299 my local sexual health clinic and I got it on the NHS although I know you can get it done privately too. I had to get referred from my GP though I couldn't just book with the clinic.