Painful tampon insertion

Introduction

Many girls and young women had or have problems when using tampons for the first time. They feel discomfort, have difficulties putting them in the right place, and even feel pain while inserting them. If you are one of them, reading the following lines will help you learn how to use tampons easily and without feeling pain.

Vaginismus

Some girls have more tissue than others, which can be the cause of discomfort while trying to insert the tampon into their vagina. The septate hymen is the name for this kind of additional tissue. However, this tissue is elastic and some girls can insert the tampon without any trouble as it passes just beside this tissue.

Still, they can have difficulties when getting the tampon out. If you experience this kind of problem, it is better to go to the doctor than to try to put it out by force. When this happens, most girls have a fear of inserting tampons again.

Every next attempt to do this will result in vaginismus, which is a medical term for the muscular contraction that causes the vagina to close, and it is happening due to negative anticipation and fear of experiencing pain again. This reaction is occurring without awareness and intention so that girls don’t know what is causing disabilities to insert the tampon. Every negative experience, such as injuries or pain in the vaginal area can cause this kind of problem.

Vaginismus is a subset of the genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder and is currently defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition as a penetration disorder in which any form of vaginal penetration such as tampons, digit, vaginal dilators, gynecologic (GYN) examinations, and intercourse is often painful or impossible.

The prevalence rate of vaginismus in a clinical setting has been estimated as 5% to 17%, and it is believed to be one of the more prevalent female sexual dysfunctions. Different psychological factors have been associated with vaginismus, such as traumatic sexual experiences, sexual abuse, a strict religious and/or strict sexual upbringing, fear and/or anxiety issues, and being held down at a young age during catheterization or enemas, but it is not always associated with psychological issues and some patients give a negative history for those factors.
Assessment of vaginismus of this study included a comprehensive pretreatment questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and consultation. All patients signed a detailed informed consent. Treatment consisted of a multimodal approach including intravaginal injections of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) and bupivacaine, progressive dilation under conscious sedation, indwelling dilator, follow-up and support with office visits, phone calls, e-mails, dilation logs, and FSFI reports.
One hundred seventy-one patients (71%) reported having pain-free intercourse at a mean of 5.1 weeks (median = 2.5). Six patients (2.5%) were unable to achieve intercourse within a 1-year period after treatment and 64 patients (26.6%) were lost to follow-up.
The change in the overall FSFI score measured at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year was statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Three patients developed mild temporary stress incontinence, two patients developed a short period of temporary blurred vision, and one patient developed temporary excessive vaginal dryness.
All adverse events resolved by approximately 4 months. One patient required retreatment followed by successful coitus.

✓ Fact confirmed: Vaginismus Treatment: Clinical Trials Follow Up 241 Patients Peter T. Pacik, and Simon Geletta; 2017 Jun

How to Treat Vaginismus

Vaginismus can be defeated with the help of a professional who will teach you how to relax your vaginal muscles. The best thing to do is to talk with your mother or someone who can help you find the right doctor because few doctors know how to help you with this problem.

When you find an experienced professional who knows how to help you defeat vaginismus, he or she will give you advice on how to slowly, but efficiently overcome the problem. You will have homework related to tampon insertion, but without feeling any pain. You will be advised to stop each time you feel pain, so there is no reason to be scared.

The doctor will teach you how to relax your muscles, and this problem will certainly be solved. There is always a possibility to use some other forms of protection instead of tampons until you learn how to overcome vaginismus. It is very important to get rid of the fear and negative associations regarding penetration.