Once upon a time, many years ago, i remember there was this Yoruba film titled “Magun” that was quite popular. It was the first time i’d ever heard of the phenomenon so of course i was curious to understand what it meant and from what i was told it was a spell of some sort, cast on a woman which would cause any ‘’unauthorized” man who had penetrative sex with the woman to remain stuck inside her. This spell was usually cast by a husband/partner or parent in some cases. Now to me this sounded completely ridiculous but over the years i have come to realise that it’s a little more complex than that but it’s not something i will ever fully understand.
As a scientist, i’m more prone to believe in things that have been proven and logically explained. This brings us to the topic for this post: vaginismus
Vaginismus is a condition where there is involuntary tightness of the vagina during attempted intercourse (or any attempt to insert anything into the vagina) The tightness is actually caused by involuntary contractions of the pelvic floor muscles surrounding the vagina. The fact that it is involuntary means that the woman does not directly control or make the tightness to occur; it is an involuntary pelvic response. She may not even be aware that the muscle response is causing the tightness or penetration problem.
Causes
Unfortunately the exact cause of vaginismus is not known. It’s usually linked to anxiety and fear of having sex. But just like the case of the chicken and the egg, it’s unclear which came first, the vaginismus or the anxiety.
Some women have vaginismus in all situations and with any object. Others have it only in certain circumstances, like with one partner but not others, or only with sexual intercourse but not with tampons or during medical exams.
While temporarily experiencing discomfort during sexual intercourse is not unusual, ongoing problems should be diagnosed and treated.
Other medical problems like infections can also cause painful intercourse. So it’s important to see a doctor to determine the underlying cause of pain during sex
Types of Vaginismus
Primary Vaginismus – When a woman has never at any time been able to have pain-free intercourse due to the involuntary contractions of the pelvic floor muscles her condition is known as primary vaginismus. Some women with primary vaginismus are unable to wear tampons and/or complete pelvic exams. Many couples are unable to consummate their relationship due to primary vaginismus.
Secondary Vaginismus – This is when vaginismus develops later in life, even after many years of pleasurable intercourse. This is usually precipitated by a medical condition, traumatic event, childbirth, surgery, or life-change (menopause).
Vaginismus is highly treatable and does not require drugs, surgery, hypnosis, nor any other complex invasive technique. Effective treatment involves a combination of pelvic floor control exercises, insertion or dilation training, pain elimination techniques, transition steps, and exercises designed to help women identify, express and resolve any contributing emotional components.
One such approach is called progressive desensitization, and the idea is to get comfortable with insertion.
First, the woman is to do Kegel exercises by squeezing the same muscles used to stop the flow of urine when urinating:
Squeeze the muscles.
Hold for 2 seconds.
Relax the muscles.
Do about 20 Kegels at a time. This can be done as many times a day as possible.
After a few days, she can insert one finger, up to about the first knuckle joint, inside the vagina while doing the exercises. It’s a good idea to clip your fingernails first and use a lubricating jelly. Or do the exercises in a bathtub, where water is a natural lubricant.
She may start with one finger and work her way up to three. The vagina’s muscles may be felt contracting around her finger, and she can always take her finger out if she’s not comfortable.
Gradually, over time it should get easier and less painful.
For women whose vaginismus is related to fear or anxiety, therapy helps.
So in case this is you or someone you know, and for some reason tightness of the vaginal muscles causes “anything” to get trapped in your vagina, it’s highly likely that you may be suffering from vaginismus and not magun and should see a doctor instead of a “baba”.
