Tell Me Your Vaginismus Story
Help me raise our collective voice.
If you’re joining me from the r/vaginismus subreddit, welcome!
If you’re a regular on Substack, you can message me directly using the button below. You can also email me at vaginismus.stories@gmail.com, send me a DM on Instagram or connect with me on TikTok.
As you might already know, I've been working with a literary agent to publish a non-fiction book about vaginismus. The work follows my 10+ year journey healing my own vaginismus, explores the often misunderstood aspects of the condition, as well as showcases the stories of others with experiences both similar and different from mine.
Over the last two years, I've connected with physicians, pelvic floor physical therapists, researchers, psychologists, sexual health educators, social media influencers, authors, and patients all over the world in order to develop a comprehensive view of vaginismus and those it affects.
I’ve heard stories that have made me laugh and cry in their relatability, and stories that have both shocked me and provided me with much-needed solidarity in my most isolating moments with this condition. Some people I’ve spoken to have grown to resent their association with vaginismus and some have made their life’s work forging a priority out of something that on exam tables throughout history and all over the world, has been treated as the opposite. I see myself in both of these types of people, and it became obvious to me when I started speaking to them that stories like mine are not at all uncommon, but they’ve previously gone untold.
Now I want to hear from you.
Over the course of this writing, I’ve learned that vaginismus diagnoses aren’t straightforward because vaginismus isn’t straightforward. With that understanding, I’m looking for stories that span the board. I want to hear from you no matter how old you are, what your marital status is, how you choose to identify, or where you are in your healing journey.
Tell me your origin story, about your symptoms, about your diagnosis or lack thereof, about your doctors, your treatment, your partners, your parents, your pregnancy, your thoughts and opinions, your concerns, your fears, your hopes, your disappointments, your triumphs.
You have my word that your stories, even those I quote directly, will remain anonymous and in the care of someone who is healing from this condition alongside you, someone who truly appreciates the strength in your vulnerability, and who intends to use our collective voices to make navigating vaginismus better for anyone who might come after us.
If you’ve found this publication in support of a friend, family member, or partner struggling with vaginismus, I’d love to hear from you too! Please feel free to share your experience with me, and share this post with your person.