I am four years behind schedule. Women should start cervical cancer screenings at age 21. I turned 25 in March.
I was diagnosed with vaginismus at 19. My doctor recommended vibrators and vaginal dilators to help train my body to become more comfortable with penetration. I had to retrain my mind to view vaginal insertion as normal — not something that is impure. An unfamiliar sensation did not necessarily equate to it being harmful. I repeated these phrases in my head the first few times I inserted a tampon, the first few seconds I used a vibrator and with the first partner with whom I had sex.
I wondered if I could get sedated for IUD insertion or get another form of anesthesia. When I asked my friend with vaginismus if she thought that was an option, she echoed my worry: “I doubt so,” she said. “I feel like they wouldn’t even take us seriously with that question.”Afterward, I posed the question to Deepali Kothary, an OB/GYN at the Kaiser Permanente Burke Medical Center in Burke, Va., in the hopes of understanding how patients with vaginismus like me could get the care we need.
Taking a dose of over-the-counter pain medication before the exam, such as Tylenol or Motrin, is another way to prepare. Kothary then applies local anesthesia, such as EMLA cream, around the vaginal area before insertion of a pediatric speculum, which is smaller and narrower. Music, a heating pad and talking to the patient all can help.“I count to five, and I say, ‘You tell me to stop if you feel too much pain,’” Kothary said.