QuestionHi,
I am a virgin at 30 and haven't had any internal exams. I was sexually assaulted as a child and was uncomfortable with the idea. Recently I went for a smear to test myself but they didn't do it when they found out I'm a virgin
I am now wanting to start a family using the Iui procedure. I had my first meeting with the clinic and they were concerned that I may suffer from vaginismus when having exam and transvaginal ultrasound. They also mentioned that my hymen may be a problem with the procedure. When they spoke to the GYN he said that most hymens are no longer intact but if mine is will that mean they can't do the IUI?
I am not freaked out by the idea of the internals or the ultrasound or the IUI itself but i have no way of knowing how my body will respond when the GYN tries to insert fingers,etc. I have to wait for 3 weeks for blood test results 2 come back before I see the GYN and discuss my situation with him but I'm wondering if I can do anything in the meantime to make these procedures easier on myself emotionally and physically?
Addie from UK
AnswerHello Addie from Ireland,
There are different sized speculums, the instrument inserted into the vagina to see the cervix, so having an intact hymen is not usually a problem. Also the vaginal ultrasound probe is not that big and usually can bypass an intact hymen. The difficulty will be more psychological rather than anatomical. That is "vaginismus" is vaginal discomfort or pain at the vaginal opening. The vagina is a muscle and if you are nervous or fearful, the instinct is to tighten the muscle so that insertion of either the speculum or ultrasound probe will be difficult and more painful.
There are several things you can do:
1. Of course you can have intercourse so that the hymen is opened.
2. You can use gradual vaginal dilation using vaginal dilators to stretch the hymen over time,
3. You can have surgery to cut and open the hymen (called a hymenotomy). If any of the above two are not possible, this might be the best choice since getting pregnant, having a baby, having annual exams with pap smears and additional ultrasounds will require and open vagina.
4. You can undergo relaxation techniques with a therapist to help you relax the muscles around the vagina. These muscles can be directly controlled by you. For example, if you insert one or two fingers in your vagina and then squeeze on the fingers (feels like squeezing down to stop your urine flow), you can feel the vaginal muscles tighten. This sensation is called Kegel exercises which is something that older women do to tighten their vaginal muscles for better sexual sensation. In your case, you would do this to feel how the muscles tighten and to train yourself to control the muscles so that when you have the exams, you can get yourself to relax them.
I hope these suggestions help.
Sincerely,
Good Luck,
Dr. Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
for additional information check out my blog at http://womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com check me out on twitter with me at @montereybayivf and facebook @montereybayivf
