Vaginismus and accompanying sexual dysfunctions in a Turkish clinical sample

Although vaginismus is a common sexual dysfunction in Turkey, there are only limited data about sexual behavior characteristics and comorbidity with other sexual dysfunctions in vaginismic patients.

To investigate the frequency of female sexual dysfunctions (FSDs) in a Turkish clinical sample and to determine the comorbidity of other FSDs in women diagnosed with lifelong vaginismus.

The study included 54 female patients who presented to a psychiatry department with sexual problems/complaints.

The subjects were evaluated using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the researchers in order to assess sexually dysfunctional patients and included detailed questions about socio-demographic variables, and general medical and sexual history. All participants were also assessed using the Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction.

The most common primary FSD in our sample was vaginismus (75.9%), followed by hypoactive sexual desire (9.2%). Regarding comorbidity, in 36 female patients with lifelong vaginismus, we found dyspareunia in 17 women (47.2%), orgasmic disorder in eight women (22.2%), and sexual desire disorder in six women (16.6%) as a second sexual dysfunction, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria.

With respect to FSDs within the Turkish clinical population, vaginismic patients constitute the largest group and cultural factors may play a role in the occurrence of this condition. Additionally, our data indicated that there was a strong correlation between vaginismus and dyspareunia. There was also a high frequency of hypoactive desire and orgasm disorder in vaginismic patients. These results suggest that multidimensional assessment of sexual dysfunction in female patients is of great importance.