Redbook Article on Vaginismus- April, 2012

[mlrchi]

Hi Heather,

I was reading Redbook magazine (Kyra Sedgewick is on the cover) and much to my surprise there was a blurb in there about vaginismus! It is on page 78 in the “Intimate Answers” section where a ob/gyn answers questions, but this was a case history called “She Literally Couldn’t Have Sex”. Well, that one caught my eye! It talks about how a woman came to her practice and said she and her husband could not achieve penetration. The doctor was able to give her an exam (so she was clearly not a level 5) and she taught her Kegals and prescribed dilators. It looks like this couple was able to overcome in 3 months. I think this is the 2nd time I was randomly reading a magazine and saw something about vaginismus (the other one was in Cosmo??), so that is a good sign about spreading the word to so many women who don’t know what is wrong with them. I know I was in that camp for at least 15 years.

Just thought you would want to know about some “good” press!

mlrchi

[Dr. Pacik]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. When a magazine has published something about vaginismus it is always an excellent idea to respond with a letter to the editor. The best way to do this is to explain that you too struggled with this disorder. They are more interested in hearing your story than about the treatment. Perhaps you and the others would be willing to be interviewed to help spread the word that this is a common condition that no one knows much about. Therefore be willing to tell your story. At a later time when they ask specifics about treatment, you can go into this. If treatment is discussed too soon, they think you are advertising and get turned off.

If all of us post when we see articles about vaginismus, and many of us write letters to the same journal, this will get their attention that this is not a isolated phenomenon.

Thanks for posting.

[Heather34]

Hi ladies. Thank you so much for sharing the Redbook article. It’s very nice to know that vaginismus is finally being discussed openly. I’ve written to Redbook, thanked them for their article, and encouraged them to do a further article outlining success stories in overcoming vaginismus. I agree with Dr. Pacik that the vaginismus story really needs to be told first. At a later point, the opportunity will then present itself to discuss how you successfully overcame vaginismus.

I bet there are still so many women out there who have never even heard of this particular treatment. This is very sad as it truly works so well and can save so much time.

I also found three additional articles on vaginismus and the Botox treatment program. I posted a reply in Article 2 and really hope it helps!!!

Article: Botox used to treat sexual issues
http://www.surgery.org/consumers/plastic-surgery-news-briefs/botox-treat-sexual-issues-1031420

Article: Botox for Vaginismus: “It has the Potential to Change your Life”
http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/better-sex-blog/botox-for-vaginismus-it-has-the-potential-to-change-your-life-

Article: Botox Useful in Treating Vaginismus
http://www.medindia.net/news/Botox-Useful-in-Treating-Vaginismus-81509-1.htm