Why we need to demystify women’s sexual dysfunction

Do you want longer lasting love? Most Australians remember a time when bright red and yellow billboards and nighttime television advertisements dominated our streets and screens – but few have even heard of vaginismus.

In recent years, these large-scale campaigns targeted sexual dysfunction and health of men, started conversations and tried to end the stigma.

But when it comes to women’s sexual dysfunction, most of us are in the dark.

One in three women will experience pain during sex, while up to 17 percent (that’s one in 10 women) will be diagnosed with a related condition called vaginismus.

With so many women having these discouraging, painful experiences, why is their journey through treatment still marked by isolation and embarrassment?

And if about 1 in 10 women struggle with this condition, why does it remain a relative mystery?

Silent pain

Vaginismus is a condition in which the muscles around the vagina involuntarily contract, causing pain and discomfort as it penetrates.

The condition can occur after sexual trauma, childbirth, menopause, or in many cases spontaneously.

There is no known cure, but treatment is possible, although it is often expensive and extremely difficult to access.

Leah Angela is the creator of the world’s first vaginismus app called GINA, which went live on app stores this week.

Ms. Angela was diagnosed with vaginismus three years ago at the age of 24.

She felt abandoned and disappointed with the lack of knowledge and support from the medical system.

“I was sexually active and had a healthy sex life for a few years, but then I started having pain while having sex with my then-partner,” Angela told The New Daily.

“I didn’t think much of it and tried to assert myself because I thought it was just a few isolated cases, but months later when I was finally diagnosed, the doctor just handed me a data sheet and I had to do the research take care rest on myself. “

Ms. Angela’s experience is typical of vaginismus patients having to face tests and misdiagnosis for months or years, with their symptoms often being turned away by doctors.

“Women and sex are associated with shame and taboos – society sees sex for women as procreation, not pleasure and pleasure.”

Gabrielle Jackson, journalist and author of Pain and Prejudice, concurred with this sentiment, saying that sexism in our medical system is insidious.

“Women haven’t been told that sexual wellbeing is part of our health … but we do know that a third of women have regular painful penetrative sex,” Jackson told The New Daily.

Studies also show that women with a conservative background, where female pleasure is not a priority and women’s sexual pain is normalized, are at a higher risk of developing vaginismus.

“In cultures where sex is not talked about, girls and women don’t even know that they should have pleasure.”

Muted by the medical system

The number of women suffering from vaginismus is said to be significantly higher than the current estimate of up to 17 percent.

This is because women’s sexual health is culturally linked to the medical system as being inextricably linked to reproductive health.

“Doctors, researchers, and policymakers were all men, and that’s how they see sex – something men need and women ‘give’ them,” Jackson said.

In contrast to male conditions such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, very little money has been devoted to researching women’s sexual health outside of reproduction.

“There has been a pathetic lack of research on this, and we are fighting centuries of stigma at the same time,” she said.

“Almost all animal studies are mostly done on male animals, and women still only make up 30 percent of those taking part in clinical studies.

“And almost everything we know about human health comes from studying male humans and male animals. So we don’t know much about it because it hasn’t been investigated. “

For Ms. Angela, the mystery and confusion she had encountered in the medical system was reflected in online communities where other sufferers seemed just as lost as she did.

“There’s so little research that it’s a joke, and it’s so old that family doctors tell women to just have a glass of wine and relax and you’ll be fine,” she said.

“Half of the research articles are written by men, the literature is so tight, and the online communities are extremely tight too.”

People with vaginismus also suffer from a pain-anxiety loop, where their symptoms worsen due to the expectation of pain.

Following outdated advice can have the opposite effect, making symptoms significantly worse.

Hope in sight

The lack of research and shame associated with female sexual dysfunction mean those affected can feel isolated and powerless.

In addition, many face cultural and socio-economic barriers that further limit them when considering treatment.

Throughout her journey, Ms. Angela felt as if she had been betrayed by her body and by those who were supposed to help her.

“When I felt comfortable dating again, it really affected the way I express myself sexually,” she said.

“I was a confident and flirtatious person and almost had the feeling that I couldn’t be like that because I didn’t want to let people down.”

This led her to develop GINA, an app that gives people with vaginismus honest, realistic advice and guides them down the (often lonely) path of sexual dysfunction.

The concept is groundbreaking, Jackson said, and it could be the kind of nudge people need to seek treatment.

“Having reliable information would be great, and just being able to speak openly to people who have had the same experience as you can be life changing,” she said.

“Once you realize that you are not alone, it can be easier to find a doctor who can help you.

“Just walking in without talking to anyone else about it can be quite overwhelming – the act of destigmatizing can be a really powerful thing.”

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/why-we-need-to-demystify-womens-sexual-dysfunction/