Ailsa Galashan

Climbing into bed with her boyfriend, Ailsa Galashan was excited about the prospect of solidifying their relationship.

But what should have been a night of passion turned out to be pure agony.

The marketing assistant, 24, was overcome with a crippling burning sensation which made s3x impossible.

At first, Ailsa thought she had a constant case of thrush until a period that lasted 37 days led her to discover she had another condition.

Doctors diagnosed Ailsa, from Aberdeen, Scotland, with vaginisimus and she is now sharing her story to raise awareness for the agonising condition.

Vaginismus is a rare condition which causes vagina suddenly tightens up as you try to insert something into it.



Ailsa said: "I always encourage people to seek medical help and to not be afraid to ask for a second opinion.

"I also try and share the message that this is nothing to be ashamed about."

Ailsa's ordeal first begun when she was a teenager as she struggled to use tampons and felt like she had constant thrush.

“I believe I have had vaginismus since I was a teenager, but I wasn’t diagnosed with it until I started to go to therapy," Ailsa said.

“I struggled with the feeling of what I thought was constant thrush and burning pain, which gradually became worse and affected me all the time.

"I wasn’t able to use tampons or have sex without pain and this really impacted my mental health."

In September 2016, Ailsa met her boyfriend Sam, 29, and spent years struggling to have sex with him.

However, things took a turn for the worst in January 2017 when she began suffering from chronic vulvar pain.

And after seeing several doctors, she got a diagnosis in March 2019 stating she has vulvodynia, a persistent and unexplained pain in the female genital area.

“To be honest, I felt relieved [when I was diagnosed]", Ailsa said.

"For such a long time I felt like I was making it all up or that it was all just in my head.

“Having a diagnosis meant that my pain was real, and although it was scary to have a name for it, it meant that I was on my way to managing my pain better."

Ailsa began attending psychosexual therapy to help treat her condition.

She had struggled to use tampons for years and this treatment lead her to the diagnosis of vaginismus.

“For vaginismus, my treatments I have had have all been holistic,” she said.

“I have learnt some breathing techniques through therapy, and I am currently waiting for a referral to physiotherapy, where I will hopefully be prescribed dilators.

"These will help manipulate the muscles and prevent them from tightening.

“Currently, I go to psychosexual therapy and I also take amitriptyline for Vulvodynia, which is a low-dose anti-depressant that helps with chronic pain.

“This combination has really worked for me, and the medication has meant I’ve been able to tackle a lot more in my life without being in serious pain all the time.

"I do still experience flare-ups, but this has been super helpful."

“It [vaginismus] means I can’t have a ‘normal’ s3x life but what is normal anyway?!" Ailsa said.



"In some ways, it’s meant that we have learned to communicate better with each other.

“Sam has come with me to several therapy appointments and as much as it means that it can be difficult for me to have s-x, since I started to take medication my pain has reduced.

“He was super supportive of me and never judged me.

"He also reassured me that he was happy to come to any appointments with me and support me through my pain management.

“He has always encouraged me to ask for a second opinion from doctors.

"When I told him I wanted to start sharing my experiences online he really encouraged me to do so and helped me to start documenting my journey on Instagram.”