Psychobiological Correlates of Vaginismus: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract

Background: Evidence concerning the determinants of vaginismus (V), in particular medical conditions, is inconclusive.

Aim: To investigate, in a cohort of subjects consulting for female sexual dysfunction, whether there is a difference in medical and psychosocial parameters between women with V and women with other sexual complaints.

Methods: A series of 255 women attending our clinic for female sexual dysfunction was consecutively recruited. V was diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria. Lifelong and acquired V cases were included.

Outcomes: Patients underwent a structured interview and physical, gynecologic, laboratory, and clitoral ultrasound examinations; they completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS), and the Body Uneasiness Test.

Results: V was diagnosed in 20 patients (7.8%). Women with V were significantly younger than the rest of the sample (P < .05). No differences were found for traditional risk factors such as a history of sexual abuse, relational parameters, or gynecologic diseases or for newly investigated parameters (ie, neurologic, hormonal, and metabolic alterations). Women with V showed significantly higher histrionic-hysterical symptoms and traits (as detected by MHQ-H score; P < .05) compared with subjects with other sexual complaints. When the scores of all MHQ subscales were simultaneously introduced in a logistic model, the association between V and MHQ-H score was confirmed (P = .013). Women with V also showed higher FSFI pain and FSDS total scores, even after adjusting for age (P < .05). In an age-adjusted model, FSDS total score increased as a function of the years of duration of V (P = .032) but not as a function of its severity. All observations were confirmed in a case-control study (ratio = 1:3).

Clinical implications: Our data demonstrate that some novel contributors of V should be investigated, namely histrionic-hysterical traits. This psychological comorbidity could offer valuable insights for intervention and managing complications.

Strengths and limitations: This is the first study to assess the role of many metabolic and hormonal parameters as potential determinants of V. The main limitation is its exploratory and cross-sectional nature; our data need to be confirmed in larger, more systematic analyses.

Conclusion: V was associated with histrionic-hysterical traits, FSFI pain domain, and sex-related distress. A history of abuse, relational parameters, gynecologic diseases, and hormonal and metabolic alterations do not seem to play a role in the development of V. Maseroli E, Scavello I, Cipriani S, et al. Psychobiological Correlates of Vaginismus: An Exploratory Analysis. J Sex Med 2017;14:1392-1402.

Keywords: Etiology; Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder; Histrionic Personality Disorder; Hormones; Organic Causes; Vaginismus.