Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research

Stephanie Kilinc; Sophie Wegner; Chinwendu Ngozi; Judith Eberhardt

Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research

Stephanie Kilinc
, Sophie Wegner
, Chinwendu Ngozi
, Judith Eberhardt

Research output: Other contribution

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Abstract

Review title
Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research.

Condition or domain being studied
Vaginismus Due To Non-psychogenic Cause; Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder

Secondary vaginismus - acquired later in life; occurs in women who have previously engaged in sexual activity without pain.

Rationale for the review
The psychological impact of living with secondary vaginismus has received limited attention on help seeking and sense of self (Pithavadian et al., 2023). This review aims to synthesise current evidence to identify and explore key themes which illustrate the lived experience of specifically secondary vaginismus, focusing less on the physical aspects, the impact on sexual relationships or intimacy (Güneş et al., 2025) and more directly on the sense of self-esteem, self-worth and help-seeking experiences of women with the condition.

Original language	English
Type	systematic review protocol
Media of output	NIHR PROSPERO
Publisher	NIHR PROSPERO
Publication status	Published - 23 Feb 2026

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https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261320363Licence: Other

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title = "Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research",

abstract = "Review title Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research. Condition or domain being studied Vaginismus Due To Non-psychogenic Cause; Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder Secondary vaginismus - acquired later in life; occurs in women who have previously engaged in sexual activity without pain. Rationale for the review The psychological impact of living with secondary vaginismus has received limited attention on help seeking and sense of self (Pithavadian et al., 2023). This review aims to synthesise current evidence to identify and explore key themes which illustrate the lived experience of specifically secondary vaginismus, focusing less on the physical aspects, the impact on sexual relationships or intimacy (G{\"u}ne{\c s} et al., 2025) and more directly on the sense of self-esteem, self-worth and help-seeking experiences of women with the condition.",

author = "Stephanie Kilinc and Sophie Wegner and Chinwendu Ngozi and Judith Eberhardt",

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T1 - Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity

T2 - A systematic review of lived experience research

AU - Kilinc, Stephanie

AU - Wegner, Sophie

AU - Ngozi, Chinwendu

AU - Eberhardt, Judith

PY - 2026/2/23

Y1 - 2026/2/23

N2 - Review title Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research. Condition or domain being studied Vaginismus Due To Non-psychogenic Cause; Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder Secondary vaginismus - acquired later in life; occurs in women who have previously engaged in sexual activity without pain. Rationale for the review The psychological impact of living with secondary vaginismus has received limited attention on help seeking and sense of self (Pithavadian et al., 2023). This review aims to synthesise current evidence to identify and explore key themes which illustrate the lived experience of specifically secondary vaginismus, focusing less on the physical aspects, the impact on sexual relationships or intimacy (Güneş et al., 2025) and more directly on the sense of self-esteem, self-worth and help-seeking experiences of women with the condition.

AB - Review title Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research. Condition or domain being studied Vaginismus Due To Non-psychogenic Cause; Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder Secondary vaginismus - acquired later in life; occurs in women who have previously engaged in sexual activity without pain. Rationale for the review The psychological impact of living with secondary vaginismus has received limited attention on help seeking and sense of self (Pithavadian et al., 2023). This review aims to synthesise current evidence to identify and explore key themes which illustrate the lived experience of specifically secondary vaginismus, focusing less on the physical aspects, the impact on sexual relationships or intimacy (Güneş et al., 2025) and more directly on the sense of self-esteem, self-worth and help-seeking experiences of women with the condition.

M3 - Other contribution

PB - NIHR PROSPERO

ER -

Secondary vaginismus and its impact on women's self and identity: A systematic review of lived experience research

Abstract

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