Let’s be honest. No one enjoys getting a Pap smear. Or a pelvic exam. They can be uncomfortable at best, and at worst resemble a form of torture. Many women experience intense pelvic pain with any kind of penetration, and for this group of gals – just the thought of a speculum can ignite a …
Continue ReadingTo the Partners of Vaginismus Patients
Your partner just found out that she has vaginismus. She is either relieved, devastated, or a combination of the two, depending on how much time she has spent avoiding the issue, jumping between health care providers, and trying to understand the condition. Now you are trying to understand what vaginismus is, figure out what your …
Continue ReadingNot Tonight Dear, I’ve Got A Headache
When there’s pain with sex, anything that whispers sex can make us women cringe. It can negatively impact our openness to being touched, inhibit our desire and arousal, and erode our ability to experience sexual pleasure. Some conditions leading to painful sex include: vaginismus, vulvodynia, infection, stiff joints, scar tissue from a procedure after giving …
Continue ReadingMy Vaginismus Journey: a story that needed to be told
[mighty_toggle title=”My Journey Begins: Realizing I’m Not Alone” state=”open”] My path to a diagnosis of vaginismus was like what many others with the condition experience – crooked and confusing with a few wrong turns along the way. It began when I first attempted to have penetrative sex. I knew the first time was supposed to …
Continue ReadingMaze is proud to support former vaginismus patient and filmmaker
There is perhaps no greater demonstration of irony than the experience of Savannah Magruder’s protagonist in her new film “Debbie Does Dilators”, which will be featured at the Brooklyn Film Festival next month. After Sara graduates from film school, she answers a Craigslist ad seeking a production assistant. Suddenly, she finds herself on a …
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