Reply To: Realizing I had vaginismus and figuring out next steps?

[JackieO]

Hi-

I’m a little late to the original post so hopefully you’ve found some relief by now!

This insanity began for me during pregnancy. Everyone told me how great intercourse was during that time but not for me. The brick wall analogy is a perfect descriptor. It has continued since then. I gave a high pelvic floor meaning the muscles are always in a state of tension & do not full relax. There is pain with manipulation but let me tell you, if you pull down on my vagina (toward anus) I will come off the table. My transverse perineal muscle is in a world of its own. I cringe just thinking about it.

Here’s what I’ve learned in my journey. First, you’ll want to see a Urogynecologist (Uro-Gyn). They work with a lot of pelvic floor problems which are muscle based. There are also pelvic floor physical therapist. I’ve seen both and they use the same manipulative techniques but the Uro-Gyns can prescribe medications. I will say, the 1st question both my Uro-Gen & pelvis floor PT asked was if I had a traumatic sexual experience so a therapist may also benefit.

Tools:
-Wand: used to apply pressure to pelvic floor muscles. You insert via the vagina and the same way a masseuse applies pressure to a muscle until it relaxes. Found on Amazon

-Dilators: used to train the vagina not to “freak out” with entry. Found on Amazon.

-Good Lubricant: I prefer Slippery Stuff but Good Clean Love & a couple others were recommended to me by both Healy care professionals.

-Consistency: My Uro-Gyn put me on a plan to use the wand and dilators everyday for 20 minutes until pain disappears then every other day and keep tapering down. BUT, it will always have to be done weekly to make sure the muscles stay relaxed.

-Core: If you think about the body, everything is sorta tied together between tendons, fascia & the muscles themselves, so relaxing other muscles will help the pelvic floor muscles. Search for “women pelvic floor core” workouts.

-Muscle Relaxers: prescribed to me to use at the beginning of my tool use and to use before intercourse.

I hope this helps,
jc