Treatment of Two Cases of Vaginismus following Long-term Infertility with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Case Report

Vaginismus is a sexual dysfunction in which couples are not able to have a normal intercourse. This disorder is one of the causes of infertility in women. The aim of this study is to successfully treat vaginismus disorder using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This cross-sectional study was conducted at a psychiatry clinic. Two patients diagnosed with vaginismus and long term infertility, one with 6 years and the other with 7 years infertility, were chosen. The treatment, which was performed in 8 sessions lasting 45 minutes each, consisted of anatomical and functional teaching of genital organs, correction of misconceptions about sexual activity, and teachings about relaxation and mental imaging of sexual activity. After the successful completion of training, both patients were able to have satisfactory intercourse. One of the patients became pregnant after 5 months and pregnancy occurred in the other one after 3 months. CBT is still an appropriate method to treat Vaginismus and can be employed as a helpful, cost-effective, and non-invasive interventional therapy.