To Our Reader:
VaginismusMD.com is devoted exclusively to fostering an understanding of vaginismus and the treatment and cure of vaginismus. Since 2005, I have devoted much of my professional career to developing and refining a comprehensive treatment protocol to address the physical and emotional realities of this complex condition. My hope is that this website serves as both an educational resource, and as a means for encouraging more awareness and discussion of a condition too often shrouded in mystery, secrecy, and shame.
Vaginismus was described 150 years ago, yet surprisingly, little progress has been made in the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of this relatively common condition. At the time of this writing, it is estimated that several million women worldwide suffer from vaginismus. To date, relatively few medical school students or doctors are trained to recognize this complex condition. Too often patients with vaginismus lose time and heart as they seek a correct interpretation of their symptoms. Notably, many women manage to accurately pinpoint their diagnosis themselves after researching the web and putting in search terms such as painful sex, painful intercourse, unable to have intercourse, unable to consummate, dyspareunia, vaginismus cure, vaginismus treatment, and many others.
Since 2005, my goal has been to promote the successful treatment of vaginismus using Botox
It has been my goal to promote the successful treatment of vaginismus ever since treating my first patient in 2005. As a board-certified plastic surgeon with over 30 years’ experience, and considerable experience using Botox, I was approached because this patient had read about a relatively unknown study in which women with vaginismus were given one-time Botox injections to alleviate the vaginal muscle spasms that define the condition. Since then, I have devoted years to medical research, and have received FDA approval to further refine the use of Botox injections for vaginismus. Yet from that first patient to the women who come to my practice today, much of the progress we have made in the treatment of this condition is by carefully listening to my patients, observing and documenting their progress, adjusting their post procedure protocols and maintaining long term contact.
Giving a voice to the vaginismus sufferer
Many of my patients serve as ambassadors, committed to sharing their first-person knowledge with other vagnismus sufferers. Their voices are an integral and valuable part of this website. Together, our goal is to create a community and resource where anyone affected by this condition—women, their partners, and the medical community—can find the information, understanding, and support they need to overcome the sense of isolation and despair too often attached to vaginismus.
Over the years, my dedicated staff and I have developed a comprehensive treatment program involving the following:
- The use of targeted Botox injections administered while the patient is under sedation and a light anesthetic. This is a pain-free, half-hour procedure done on-site at my certified surgicenter under the care of board certified anesthesiologists and a well trained staff.
- Counseling in the use of progressive dilation, transitioning to intercourse, becoming comfortable with GYN exams, and overcoming relationship and libido issues. When patients wake up with a large dilator in place, this often “flips a switch” and is the early understanding that penetration without pain is possible.
“I was not afraid of the procedure itself, but of the dilating afterwards. I have to say that at the beginning it was uncomfortable, but NOT painful at all!!!! You will wake up with the blue dilator (the blue is the biggest), and you will realize, that wow, it can fit in! “
- During the treatment period, my staff and I get to know each patient to further personalize and customize vaginismus treatment. As patients progress during their post-treatment it is often astounding to see the change in facial tension from high levels of fear and anxiety to a more composed and relaxed state, knowing they are well on their way to overcoming the physical barriers that have prevented intimacy.
- We promise every patient that they will be treated with respect and dignity by a caring staff in a pain-free environment, and that every effort will be made to achieve a successful outcome.
Sincerely,
Peter T. Pacik, MD, FACS