The most noticeable thing about vaginismus is the pain, obviously.
Aching, stinging, burning, tension, tightness etc. And that's just the physical. It can go from being barely noticeable to reducing a woman to tears. Vaginal pain can crop up when inserting a tampon, masturbating, attempting intercourse or undergoing a medical examination. It can last a few minutes or up to a few hours, if severe. This type of pain is so distracting, it's often the only thing you can think about and even the slightest hint of discomfort is enough to massively put you off the task at hand (no pun intended). Some women experience so much pain they can't attempt intercourse at all while others attempt it with gritted teeth. My pain started as discomfort, when I began exploring my body as a child, it then followed me into my teens and it's with me now as an adult. I suppose I'm used to it after all these years and I try not to focus on it, but it's still there and I can't help, but feel powerless over it. It's ironic that because of vaginismus instead of being at the peak of your pleasure in the bedroom, you're often at the peak of your pain. When I was 18 and started using sex toys, I realised that vibrators could give me a weird dichotomy of pain and pleasure simultaneously. Though can you ever truly let go, when it hurts? Even if it's a dull ache, you're always aware of it in the background. And before you know it, you're tiptoeing around it. Not good. It took me over 10 years to make the link between painful penetration and vaginismus. I thought it was because I was single and believed my pain would disappear upon finding the 'right person'. It's only now that I'm in a relationship that I realize how much of a myth that is. The bottom line is: if you have vaginal pain, you need to find the cause and that cause might be vaginismus. Waiting or hoping the problem will go away by itself will only make things worse in the long run. Check out this full list of symptoms
