A Woman Who Never Could Have Coitus: Treatment of Lifelong Vaginismus (original) (raw)

Springer eBooks, 2017

Abstract

Vaginismus is commonly described as a persistent difficulty in allowing vaginal entry of a penis or other “objects” (e.g., tampons, fingers, speculum), despite the woman’s expressed wish to do so. Lifelong vaginismus is diagnosed when a woman has never been able to have intercourse. The prevalence rates vary between 0.4 and 6.0% in a general population. Research on the etiology of vaginismus is scarce, and no definitive cause has been identified. A fear-avoidance model for vaginismus is described. Gradual exposure therapy is nearly always combined with relaxation instruction. Only a few randomized and controlled effect studies have been conducted until now. The success (intercourse is possible) of these few studies varied greatly. The treatment success of exposure-type treatments is significantly greater than that of therapies that combine multiple treatment techniques.

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