The treatment analysis of the patients suffering from vaginismus and the correlation with the psychological issues

Authors

  • Didem Kurban Hera Clinic Ankara for Cosmetic- Reconstructive Gynecology, Sexual Therapy and Wellness, Ankara, Turkey
  • Suleyman Eserdag Hera Clinic Ankara for Cosmetic- Reconstructive Gynecology, Sexual Therapy and Wellness, Ankara, Turkey
  • Emrah Yakut Department Memorial Ankara Hospital, Balgat Mah. Mevlana Blv. 1422. Sok. No: 4, 06520, Ankara, Turkey
  • Prabhu Chandra Mishra Head, StemMax Research and Therapeutics Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20211107

Keywords:

Female sexual pain, Genito-pelvic pain, Penetration disorder, Psychological issue in vaginismus treatment, Vaginismus, Vaginismus treatment

Abstract

Background: We aimed to present the demographic information, treatment protocol, and results of 482 female patients that presented to our clinic specialized in sexual dysfunction with the complaint of no or only partial sexual intercourse and were diagnosed with primary vaginismus.

Methods: The female patients were asked eight questions about demographics; 13 questions about marriage; seven questions about family structure and upbringing; three questions about history of psychiatric diseases and general phobias; and 17 questions about sexual history and previous treatments. The male spouses were asked seven questions concerning age, occupation, educational level, personality, sexual experience, and sexual dysfunction.

Results: The median age of the female patients was 28 and their spouses was 29. The mean duration of marriage was 18.2 months. Of the female patients, 65.4% reported that they felt they would have pain during sexual intercourse, 23.6% stated that they really had pain, 74.1% mentioned that they had heard horrifying stories about the first night of marriage in the pre-marital period. Cognitive behavioral therapy was performed alone in 85.7% of the patients, following hymenotomy in 5%, and following hymenectomy in 9.3%.

Conclusions: False and exaggerated information about sexuality being embedded in the subconscious of women is very effective in the development of vaginismus. On the other hand, traditional family structure, adolescent traumas, first night stories, and superstitions about sexuality are among the important causes of vaginismus.

Author Biography

Didem Kurban, Hera Clinic Ankara for Cosmetic- Reconstructive Gynecology, Sexual Therapy and Wellness, Ankara, Turkey

Medical director

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th edn. Text revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.

Butcher J. ABC of sexual health: female sexual problems II: sexual pain and sexual fears. BMJ. 1999;318(7176):110-2.

Dogan S. Vaginismus and accompanying sexual dysfunctions in a Turkish clinical sample. J Sex Med. 2009;6(1):184-92.

İncesu C, Yetkin N. Assessment of 200 Subjects referred to a sexual dysfunction outpatient clinic in Turkey. In: Proceedings of the XIIIth. World Congress of Sexology; 1997:285-290.

Oktay M, Tombul K. Two hundred cases of vaginismus: their and their husbands’ psychological evaluation. New Sympos. 2003;41:115-9.

Sungur M. Evaluation of couples referred to a sexual dysfunction unit and prognostic factors in sexual and marital therapy. J Sex Marital Ther. 1994;9:251-65.

Tugrul C, Kabakçi E. Vaginismus and its correlates. J Sex Marital Ther. 1997;12:23-34.

Konkan R, Bayrak M, Gönüllü OG, Şenormancı O, Sungur MZ. Sexual function and satisfaction of women with vaginismus. Düşünen Adam: J Psychiatr Neurol Sci. 2012;25(4):305-11.

Lahaie MA, Boyer SC, Amsel R, Khalife S, Binik YM. Vaginismus: a review of the literature on the classification/diagnosis, etiology and treatment. Wom Health. 2010;6(5):705-19.

Oniz A, Keskinoglu P, Bezircioglu I. The prevalence and causes of sexual problems among premenopausal Turkish women. J Sex Med. 2007;4:1575-81.

Yasan A, Gurgen F. Marital Satisfaction, sexual problems and the possible diffuculties on sex therapy in traditional Islamic culture. J Sex Marital Ther. 2009;35:68-75.

Yıldırım EA, Akyüz F, Hacıoğlu M, Eşsizoğlu A, Çakmak AC, Çakmak E, et al. Relationship between presentation complaint and clinical diagnosis in patients admitted to sexual dysfunction clinic. Arch Neuropsychiatr. 2011;48(1):24-30.

Yilmaz E, Zeytinci IE, Sarı S, Karababa IF, Cilli AS, Kucur R. Investigation of sexual problems in married people living in the center of Konya. Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2010;21(2):126-34.

Munasinghe T, Goonaratna C, de Silva P. Couple characteristics and outcome of therapy in vaginismus. Ceylon Med J. 2004;49:54-7.

Kaplan HS. The new sex therapy: active treatment of sexual dysfunctions. New York: Brunner-Mazel; 1974:413-429.

Beck JG. Vaginismus. In: O'Donohue W, Greer JH, eds. Handbook of sexual dysfunctions: assessment and treatment. Boston: AUyn and Bacon Inc.; 1993:381-397.

Lamont JA. Vaginismus: a reflex response out of control. Contemp Obstet Gynecol. 1994;3:30-2.

Ohl LE. Essentials of female sexual dysfunction from a sex therapy perspective. Urol Nurs. 2007;27(1):57-63.

Shokrollahi P, Mirmohamadi M, Mehrabi F, Babaei G. Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women seeking services at family planning centers in Tehran. J Sex Marital Ther.1999;25:211-5.

Bachmann G. Female sexuality and sexual dysfunction: Are we stuck on the learning curve. J Sex Med. 2006;3:639-45.

Ozdemir O, Simsek F, Ozkardes S, Incesu C, Karakoç B. The unconsummated marriage: its frequency and clinical characteristics in a sexual dysfunction clinic. J Sex Marital Ther. 2008;34(3):268-79.

Akhavan-Taghavi MH, Asghari-Moghaddam MA, Froutan SK, Jadid-Milani M. Vaginismus in Iran: a single center report of 7 years’ experience. Nephrourol Mon. 2015;7(6):e30077.

Kaplan HS. The new sex therapy: active treatment of sexual dysfunctions. Illustrated ed. Levittown, PA: Brunner/Mazel; 1974.

ter Kuile MM, van Lankveld JJ, de Groot E, Melles R, Neffs J, Zandbergen M. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for women with lifelong vaginismus: Process and prognostic factors. Behav Res Ther. 2007;45(2):359-73.

Kaneko K. Penetration disorder: dyspareunia exists on the extension of vaginismus. J Sex Marital Ther. 2001;27:153-5.

Hiller J. Defining vaginismus. Sex Relat Ther. 2000;15:87-90.

Vaginismus YN. Sexual Dysfunctions Monograph Series. 1999;3:26-9.

Özmen E. Sexual myths and sexual dysfunctions. World Psychiatr. 1999;2:49-53.

Ward E, Ogden E. Experiencing vaginismus sufferers’ beliefs about causes and effects. Sex Marital Ther.1994;9:33-45.

Dogan S, Dogan M. The frequency of sexual dysfunctions in male partners of women with vaginismus in a Turkish sample. Int J Impot Res. 2008;20(2):218-21.

Aghamohmadiyan H, Rezagholizade T, Avazi M, Poshtiban H, eds. Satisfaction of sexual fanction in family and its coloration with divorce. First Congress in Family and Sexual Dysfunction. Shahed University, Tehran, Iran; 2003.

Mahani SA, Motlagh NS, Mahdavi VM, Hadian M, Lari AM. Involvement of families from Tehran to astonishing levels of health costs and relating factors: Justice Evaluation project in Tehran (Urban HEART 2010). Razi Med Sci J. 2014;21(126):15-26.

Downloads

Published

2021-03-24

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles