Vaginismus: 'My body won't let me have sex'
Vaginismus is a sexual pain disorder where women experience an involuntary tightening of muscles around the vagina whenever penetration is attempted.
Few know about it, even though a 2017 study found that nearly one in 10 British women find sex painful.
Vaginismus can develop at any time throughout a woman’s life and can appear after they experience anything from thrush or childbirth to sexual trauma or the menopause.
But some sufferers discover they have the condition when they try – and fail – to have sex for the first time. Shame and taboo often stops them from seeking help, despite it being curable.
Producer: Sophia Smith Galer
Camera: Soraya Auer
