the testimony of a woman on her vaginismus

A 26-year-old British woman has begun to raise awareness of the reality behind the word "vaginismus". She wrote a book to communicate on this little-known subject.

Victoria Johnston is 26 years old, and has been suffering from vaginism for years. So that the look on this affection changes, she wrote a book recounting her experience, and told this one to several British media.

"The pain during penetration is like a burning sensation," says the young woman at The Sun. "Sometimes it's also like a scratching sensation, like rubbing sandpaper on the inner lining," says Victoria Johnston. "It's extremely painful and sometimes the muscles do not even allow anything to penetrate. They simply block the entrance, "she adds.

Vaginism is characterized by a too strong contraction of the perineal muscles due to an involuntary reflex, which prevents the normal opening of the vagina. It may be a disorder that has always been present, or secondary vaginismus, occurring later in the woman's life.

For Victoria Johnston, the effects of this vaginismus on her personal life were not long in coming, since many boys made her feel guilty about this condition, "unable to read the emotional and physical pain" in her eyes during "Many have imposed themselves for their own pleasure, regardless of my own feelings. I was told that I was not trying hard enough, despite my constant efforts. I was bullied, blamed and emotionally destroyed by bad partners, "she says.

Now engaged in a stable relationship, the young woman does not have a sex life, since any form of intimacy makes her anxious because of the vicious circle that has settled since her first bad experiences.

In the hope of being rebuilt little by little, she is followed by a psychotherapist, because vaginismus has gradually made her fall into anxiety and depression.

Although it may be due to painful medical conditions (childbirth, infections ...), vaginismus is often the result of past trauma. Victoria Johnston attributes her vaginism to her strict Catholic upbringing and the emotional abuse of her former boyfriends.

While she publishes a book on the subject, the young woman hopes to change mentalities so that vaginism is no longer perceived as something that can easily get rid of, but as a real affection of which women are only victims .