In women who experience pain during sexual intercourse, the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for couples may be a more effective approach than the use of lidocaine, new research finds.
The study’s findings appeared in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
108 couples were included in a study examining the impacts of CBT or couples, conducted at Université de Montréal.
According to one co-author of the study: “Psychological intervention is recommended because once pain sets in, it has such a negative impact on sexuality and on the relationship that it becomes very important to break the vicious cycle of fear and avoidance.”
“The pain often leads to loss of desire in women and frustration in both partners. This is a real problem; it’s not imaginary.”
“Therapy was found to be more effective than lidocaine application in reducing women’s fear of pain, sexual distress and alarm, and in improving their sexual experience. After six months, the women were twice as satisfied with their sex lives and their partners three times as satisfied,” the researchers concluded.
