Vaginismus

The muscles around the vagina tensing or contracting uncontrollably is known as Vaginismus. The vagina is a part of the female reproductive system. It links the cervix, which is the bottom portion of the uterus, to the exterior of the body. These involuntary Vaginal Spasms happen when something tries to enter the vagina, such as a penis, finger, tampon, or medical device. Vaginal Spasms can be either hardly tolerable or excruciatingly painful. The treatment of Vaginismus is the method of same like cosmetic Botulinum Toxin.

When a person has sex for the first time in their late teen years or early adulthood, vaginismus symptoms may manifest. The issue can also manifest itself when a person performs a tampon insertion for the first time or undergoes a pelvic checkup in a doctor’s office.

Some women experience vaginal spasms as they age. Years may pass before it occurs without any issues. Anytime there is vaginal penetration, spasms or discomfort may happen. Or you might only have them occasionally, such as during sex or pelvic exams.

What results in Vaginismus?

The cause of spasms in the vaginal muscles in some people is unknown to medical professionals. Sexual, psychological, and physical problems may result from it. Yeast infections, UTIs, and bladder infections can worsen pain from vaginismus.

A number of factors, including, may cause vaginal spasms:-

• Anxiety illnesses.
• Injuries developed during childbirth, such as vaginal tears.
• A prior operation.
• Fear of or unfavorable feelings towards sex, sometimes brought on by past rape, abuse, or trauma.

What are the characteristics of Vaginismus?

Vaginal spasms manifest as:

• A soreness or discomfort during vaginal penetration.
• Due to pain or spasms in the vaginal muscles, it is impossible to have intercourse or do a pelvic check.
• Painful sexual activity.

What is the management or medication for vaginismus?

Treatments for spasms in the vaginal muscles concentrate on easing your muscles’ reflexive tenseness. Treatments also target the concerns or anxieties that cause vaginismus.

• Topical treatment: Compound creams or topical lidocaine may ease the pain brought on by this ailment.
• Physical therapy for the pelvic floor: Will instruct you on how to relax your pelvic floor muscles.
• Therapy using vaginal dilators: Vaginal dilators are tubes of varying sizes. Their main objective is to expand the vagina. Dilators help people with vaginal spasms feel less sensitive to and more at ease with vaginal penetration. To make insertion simpler, you could use a topical numbing ointment on the vagina’s exterior first.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT aids in your comprehension of how ideas influence emotions and actions. Anxiety, sadness, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can all be effectively treated with it.
• Sex therapy: Trained sex therapists assist singles and couples in rediscovering the joy of their sexual encounters.

Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Vaginismus

The method uses the same underlying idea as Cosmetic Botulinum Toxin. Muscles that ought not to be contracting are injected with the Botulinum Toxin.

Although the presence of needles in the vulva may indicate discomfort, procedure pain is rarely a concern. Botulinum Toxin treatment for vaginismus can be performed under either local or general anesthesia. Because of their medical condition, certain patients might benefit most from general anesthesia because it would be challenging to administer the required local anesthesia. It is often an outpatient operation in either case.

Patients typically require four to five days to recuperate from the operation, and Botulinum Toxin takes about a week to fully take action. In some instances, the injection by itself will be sufficient to permit painless entry.

In other circumstances, counseling will be used in conjunction with the surgery to address the mental problems that, of course, cannot be resolved with a procedure alone. Dilators will be used to relieve physical discomfort in these cases.

Most of the time, just one session is enough for patients to fully benefit from the treatment. Even though Botulinum Toxin only lasts three to five months, this long-lasting pain alleviation nevertheless happens because the initial treatment interrupts the pain cycle brought on by vaginismus. The body usually relaxes the muscles on its own once patients are able to engage in painless intercourse or penetration. But if the effects of the initial procedure start to wane after some time, it is still viable to undergo additional treatments.

The Botulinum Toxin technique for vaginal spasms has a 90–97% success rate, and side effects are negligible. The anesthesia carries a slight risk, just like any procedure. The potential for bladder problems and, in rare instances, patients reporting symptoms similar to botulism, such as blurred vision, are procedure-specific concerns.