It is not uncommon for a woman with vaginismus to seek multiple doctors before finding one that will understand and know the condition. In an age when technology and access to information is a second away from the hands of individuals in all professions, we are still finding that vaginismus is highly misunderstood and unknown by family doctors and Obgyn's. Wait.. your probably thinking.. Did you type Obgyn? Are they not suppose to be the doctors and experts of that area?
You didn't read that wrong at all. It is a sad truth that is harmful because it feeds into the depression and feelings about the condition. Many women suffer from puberty til they happen upon either an Obgyn that understands the pelvic floor and knows the condition. Sometimes this isn't the case. For some women, it is self-research online that can lead them to the conclusion that they have vaginismus. It is always recommended that you get looked at by an Obgyn to verify that there isn't anything else anatomically going on.
The reactions of discovering a name and that others suffer can look different. However there tends to a word that gets tossed around a member. They are sad words. "Freak", "Not female", "abnormal","weird", "different", and "alone"... This is very sad. Most likely the lack of discussion in sex ed at public school, the lack of inclusion in sex ed in most college classes, the hush hush factor that will be discussed as an entry in the future, and the amount of doctors that don't either really understand or never heard the condition feeds into why women often feel alone and weird and not normal.
Social Media groups such as the ones found on Yahoo, Google, and Facebook are important to the women that join because it helps them to realize they are not alone. It helps to break down that "I'm weird" and "abnormal" attitude that often attaches itself to the condition indirectly. One thing to note, when we did the symptoms of Vaginismus. The author of the blog noted that depression and self - loathing should be attached as symptoms. It is because of these feelings above that the author of the blog argued that those symptoms should be included into the list of symptoms.
For many the social media sites become a safe place to get answers to questions since there are many different ways to treat Vaginismus. For many its a source of hope since many often feel hopeless at first. So it helps to see that other women are making progress and realize that there is a light at the end of the table. It is a method to share "good" Obgyn's and list of Obgyn's to avoid. Its also a place to vent when we have those bad experiences in bed, our own self loathing, frustration with lack of progress, attitudes from society or partners, and in general. So joining a social media can be very helpful for many conditions.
If your reading this and have been diagnosed with Vaginismus and come across this, it is important to understand that you are not alone and that it is treatable. There are many women whom have this condition. This blog contains so far links to groups on Facebook but soon it will also include active groups on Yahoo and Google. If your on Facebook look up Informational download on Vaginismus. The author will attach a link to the page on Facebook. Its great resource to go to because it will have links to different groups along with a description of each group.
What we would like to see?
We would like to see more family and Obgyn doctors to be more aware of the condition and understand the different reactions by women that suffer. Schools to add vaginismus into their sex ed classes when they discuss reproductive systems. Someone whom doesn't have vaginismus might read this and say.. "Why are we encouraging kids to be able to have sex?" Stop right there. First off vaginismus impacts not only the ability to have sex, it also impacts the ability for a female to get pap smears, and the inability to wear a tampon. There are many women that might have gone for treatment and been able to treat prior to be looking for a partner but didn't because they didn't have the information at their hands. We would like to see college professors that teach the sex ed classes to discuss this as part of their curriculum. At some point, we would like Vaginismus to be common as Erectile dysfunction.
