Recently the use of Botox for vaginismus has been a hot topic in some circles. Vaginismus is a condition that is sometimes described as uncontrollable muscle spasms that prevent women from being able to comfortably have vaginal intercourse or, sometimes, other forms of vaginal penetration including tampon use and gyn exams. (A difficulty with this description, however, is that vaginal spasms have not been found to be the most effective diagnostic predictors of vaginismus, and controversy continues to swirl around how vaginismus is similar to or different from other vaginal pain disorders.)
But on to Botox and what it has to do with vaginismus, since most people think of Botox as being used for cosmetic purposes as a facial injection. In fact, Botox has been used in many “off-label” ways – for example, research has shown that some healthcare providers have used it to effectively treat sweat gland disorders in the underarm and genital areas. It’s also been used to treat certain types of urge incontinence (peeing when one doesn’t intend to pee). One of these off-label (read: not FDA approved) uses of Botox has been to treat vaginismus. Continue Reading →