Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Vaginismus and its correlates in an Iranian clinical sample

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 26, pages 230–234 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Although vaginismus is a relatively common female sexual dysfunction in Iran, there are scant studies reporting on its clinical and social features. The aim of the present study was to compare the social and clinical characteristics of women with vaginismus with those of healthy women. The study comprises 22 patients with vaginismus and 22 healthy controls who presented to the health clinics of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. We used three assessment tools: interview, a (34-item) questionnaire for demographic and clinical characteristics of vaginismus and a 13-item questionnaire of Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R) for sexual distress. The majority (73%) of women with vaginismus had primary vaginismus (unconsummated marriage). These women demonstrated significant higher phobia than healthy women, including fear of genital pain and penetration, fear of bleeding during intercourse, height phobia, aversion to looking or touching the genitalia, fear of vaginal disproportion and also disgust of semen. Compared with the healthy women, these women displayed a significantly higher sexual distress score, defecation or urination problems, general anxiety, higher education levels and lower self-esteem. Our findings suggest that there is a strong correlation between vaginismus, phobia and anxiety.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Basson R, Althof S, Davis S, Fugl-Meyer K, Goldstein I, Leiblum S et al. Summary of the recommendations on sexual dysfunctions in women. J Sex Med 2004; 1: 24–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Reissing ED, Binik YM, KHALIF S, Cohen D, Amsel R . Etiological correlates of vaginismus: sexual and physical abuse, sexual knowledge, sexual self-schema, and relationship adjustment. J Sex Marital Ther 2003; 29: 47–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Sungur M . The role of cultural factors in the course and treatment of sexual problems. In: Hall K, Graham C, (eds) The Cultural Context of Sexual Pleasure and Problems: Psychotherapy with Diverse Clients. Routledge: New York, 2012 pp 308–329.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Barnes J . Primary vaginismus (part 1): social and clinical features (part 2): aetiological features. Ir Med J 1986; 79: 59–65.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Crowley T, Richardson D, Goldmeier D . Recommendations for the management of vaginismus: BASHH Special Interest Group for Sexual Dysfunction. Int J STD AIDS 2006; 17: 14–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Hawton K, Catalan J . Sex therapy for vaginismus: characteristics of couples and treatment outcome. Sex Marital Ther 1990; 5: 39–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Sungur M . Evaluation of couples referred to a sexual dysfunction unit and prognostic factors in sexual and marital therapy. Sex Marital Ther 1994; 9: 251–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Tuğrul C, Kabakçı E . Vaginismus and its correlates. Sex Marital Ther 1997; 12: 23–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Yasan A, Gürgen F . Marital satisfaction, sexual problems, and the possible difficulties on sex therapy in traditional Islamic culture. Sex Marital Ther 2008; 35: 68–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Basirnia A, Sahimi Izadian E, Arbabi M, Bayay Z, vahid-vahdat S et al. Systematic review of prevalence of sexual disorders in Iran. Iran J Psychiatry 2007; 2: 151–156.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Badran W, Moamen N, Fahmy I, El-Karaksy A, Abdel-Nasser TM, Ghanem H . Etiological factors of unconsummated marriage. Int J Impot Res. 2006; 18: 458–463.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Özdemir Ö, Şimşek F, Özkardeş S, İncesu C, Karakoç B . The unconsummated marriage: its frequency & clinical characteristics in a sexual dysfunction clinic. J Sex Marital Ther. 2008; 34: 268–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Zargooshi J . Male sexual dysfunction in unconsummated marriage: long-term outcome in 417 patients. J Sex Med 2008; 5: 2895–2903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Borg C, Peters ML, Schultz WW, de Jong PJ . Vaginismus: heightened harm avoidance and pain catastrophizing cognitions. J Sex Med 2012; 9: 558–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Reissing ED, Binik YM, Khalifé S, Cohen D, Amsel R . Vaginal spasm, pain, and behavior: an empirical investigation of the diagnosis of vaginismus. Arch Sex Behav 2004; 33: 5–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ibrahimipure H, Najjar AV, Jalambadani Z . The first experience of intercourse in married women of Sabzevar city: a phenomenological study. Health Med 2012; 6: 453–461.

    Google Scholar 

  17. DeRogatis L, Clayton A, Lewis-D'Agostino D, Wunderlich G, Fu Y . Validation of the female sexual distress scale-revised for assessing distress in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. J Sex Med 2008; 5: 357–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Weijmar Schultz W, Basson R, Binik Y, Eschenbach D, Wesselmann U, Van Lankveld J . Women's sexual pain and its management. J Sex Med 2005; 2: 301–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Reissing ED . Vaginismus: evaluation and management. In: Goldstein AT, Pukall CF, Goldstein I, (eds) Female Sexual Pain Disorders: Evaluation and Managment. Wiley-Blackwell: Oxford, 2009 pp 229–234.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  20. Reissing ED . Consultation and treatment history and causal attributions in an online sample of women with lifelong and acquired vaginismus. J Sex Med 2012; 9: 251–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Amin Esmaeli M, Azar M, Iranpour C . The prevalence of anxiety symptoms in patients with vaginismus referred to a private psychiatric clinic in Tehran (2001-2002). J Reprod Infertil 2003; 4: 156–163.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Zargooshi J . Unconsummated marriage: clarification of aetiology; treatment with intracorporeal injection. BJU Int 2000; 86: 75–79.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. van der Velde J . A psychophysiological investigation of the pelvic floor. The mechanism of vaginismus. [dissertation]. University of Amsterdam, 1999.

  24. Mousavinasab M, Farnoosh Z . Managment of vaginismus with cognitive-behavioral therapy, self-finger approach: a study of 70 cases. Iran J Med Sci 2003; 28: 69–71.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Watts G, Nettle D . The role of anxiety in vaginismus: a case‐control study. J Sex Med 2010; 7: 143–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Al-Sughayir M . Unconsummated marriage: a Saudi version. Arab J Psychiatry 2004; 15: 122–130.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Dogan S, Dogan M . The frequency of sexual dysfunctions in male partners of women with vaginismus in a Turkish sample. Int J Impot Res 2007; 20: 218–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Nabil Mhiri M, Smaoui W, Bouassida M, Chabchoub K, Masmoudi J, Hadjslimen M et al. Unconsummated marriage in the Arab Islamic world: Tunisian experience. Sexologies 2013; 22: 71–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Farshad Mamudi for improving the use of English in the manuscript. This work was partially supported by funds from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. This research was performed as a part of the academic activity of the university.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    F Farnam

  2. Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    M Janghorbani

  3. Iranian National Center of Addiction Studies (INCAS), Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    E Merghati-Khoei

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    F Raisi

Authors
  1. F Farnam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M Janghorbani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E Merghati-Khoei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F Raisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M Janghorbani.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Farnam, F., Janghorbani, M., Merghati-Khoei, E. et al. Vaginismus and its correlates in an Iranian clinical sample. Int J Impot Res 26, 230–234 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2014.16

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2014.16

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links