Botox treatment?

[SarahD]

Hi There – I’ve been researching the option to receive botox treatment to help with vaginismus and I’m struggling to find a practitioner who offers the treatment in Sydney, Australia. I’ve sent off some enquiries with a few clinics. In the meantime I wanted to get your advice based on my history/symptoms described below if botox would be a helpful course of action.

Thanks in advance!

– Sexually active since May 2018 (when I got married)
– Had painful sex and at times no sex for the first 18 months before getting diagnosed
– I saw a gyno for an examination with an ultrasound, the ultrasound and her examination showed no obstructions
– Upon the gynos referral I had 4 x physical therapy sessions 1 Aug to 20 Sep 2019
– I dilate every day for approx. 10 minutes
– I still experience pain dilating 80% of the time
– I can have sex but it’s painful:
* In all positions except for one
* After I have orgasmed
* When my husband moves back and forth to quickly and goes in and out to far I can only tolerate it for a short time
– FYI I also have PCOS

[S T]

I was diagnosed with primary Vaginismus. My therapist helped me insert my first dilator, and I’ve have been dilating on/off for years now. The first time I had intercourse was painful but I was so proud of myself that I wanted to continue working on myself till It got better. I’m in an off/On relationship with someone who is not small… and no matter how many times I felt I was ready for painless sex after dilation, it seems that I’m not and find sex really painful and uncomfortable. I wonder if Botox will help me have painless sex…

[mazemelissa]

Botox will help anyone who continues to have increased muscle tension in the muscles surrounding the vagina, despite continued use of dilators.

I also feel that sometimes women don’t dilate large enough. If you have a large partner, then you must dilate with something bigger than his penis in order for him to be pain free.

Many times the largest dilator in a kit, is not bigger than a partner, so you will need to do some measuring and find something bigger.

[SarahD]

Thanks mazemelissa for the advice! I’m super pleased I spoke to a clinic yesterday and they’re going to book me in for a consultation to talk about the option to do botox.

Can I ask with the dilating, I’ve read a lot of conflicting advice around the frequency. Some say every day vs every second day, 2 hours a day vs 10 minutes, to leave it in overnight etc.

What do you think is the best frequency? Currently I do approx. 10 minutes a day when I get home from work, generally 5 days a week.

I use plastic and the largest is slightly bigger than my husband but I think I may need to switch to glass or silicone based on what I’ve been reading. It seems it could be a bit less painful switching to a different material?

[Leslie Turner, WHNP, CNM]

SarahD,
so glad to hear that you scheduled an appointment to discuss Botox treatment for vaginismus.

And congratulations on your consistent dilation! For the majority of our patients, we recommend dilating for 10 minutes a day. Consistency is so important with dilation – that you have been dilating 5 days per week is commendable. Dilation can be challenging; it’s helpful to listen to something relaxing or watch something entertaining if that appeals to you.

Some women prefer glass or silicone dilators over plastic, but prior to purchasing more dilators, make sure that you are using an ample amount of a high quality lubricant. We recommend either organic refined coconut oil or a hybrid (silicone/water) blend of a good lubricant such as Sliquid. We suggest not using an over-the-counter water-based lubricant as it can get tacky and not provide sufficient lubrication with insertion/removal of the dilator.

Please keep us posted. And congratulations on the amazing progress you’ve made!