Vaginismus

Vaginismus is the involuntary tightening of vaginal muscles, usually triggered by attempts at

• Penetrative sex
• Tampon insertion
• Internal pelvic exams
• Vaginal ultrasounds

The tightening can cause:

• Burning or sharp pain
• A feeling of “hitting a wall”
• Inability to insert anything at all
• Fear, shame or anxiety around intimacy

For many people the fear of pain becomes part of the pattern.

• Pain or burning with attempted penetration
• Inability to insert tampons or complete a pap smear
• Avoidance of intimacy or medical exams
• Tensing or holding breath during sexual activity
• Felling like “your body won’t let you”

Whether you’ve had this your whole life (primary vaginismus) or it started after a difficult event (secondary vaginismus), it’s not your fault, and it’s not permanent.

You’re not alone. And you’re not out of options

At our Perth pelvic pain clinic, we treat vaginismus using a modern medical model: Compassionate, neuroscience-informed care that addresses muscle, nerve and brain

Pelvic Botox injections
Botox relaxes the overactive pelvic floor muscles involved in vaginismus. Delivered under sedation this is a powerful reset tool – often paired with pelvic floor physiotherapy and dilator work for best outcomes

Pelvic Rhizotomy (Nerve Ablation)
A targeted procedure to desensitise pain-signalling nerves in the pelvic region. This treatment helps to dull nerve signals from tight muscles back to the central nervous system.

Stellate Ganglion block (SGB)
A minimally invasive neck injection that calms the overactive sympathetic nervous system. SGB has been shown to help with pain, anxiety PTSD and trauma related pelvic conditions like vaginismus.

Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Ketamine works at the level of the central nervous system, helping to interrupt pain loops and restore brain-body trust. Ideal for treatment resistant vaginismus, coexisting central sensitisation or chronic pelvic pain, patients who say “it’s like my body just shuts down”.

Our clinic offers vaginismus treatment in Perth including Pelvic Botox, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, Ketamine Infusion Therapy and Pelvic Nerve Procedures – all delivered by an experienced team of Pain Specialists.

Maybe you’ve tried everything. But if you’re still reading this isn’t about forcing anything. It’s about building safety. Quietly. Medically. Compassionately.