Effects of sex therapy based on cognitive behavioral methods on sexual problems of women with vaginismus and their spouses

Abstract

Objective: It has long been suggested that sexual problems are common in women with vaginismus and their partners or spouses. In the current study, it was determined whether or not there was a change in sexual problems of women with vaginismus and their spouses after a successful sex therapy based on cognitive behavioral methods of vaginismus. Methods: The Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction was administered to twenty-eight married couples, who could not achieve vaginal penetration due to primary vaginismus, before and after sex therapy based on cognitive behavioral methods. Results: The results of our study have shown that sexual problems in women with vaginismus improve after the treatment. Furthermore, their spouses do not show a higher rate of sexual problems than the general population, and these problems generally do not decrease by sex therapy used to treat vaginismus.