Ground Floor: on vaginismus, vulvodynia, and other ways we brace25 Syys

Smear Tests with Vaginismus, Vulvodynia and Fear

If the thought of a smear test feels a world away from your reality, this episode is for you. On this episode of Ground Floor I talk about cervical screening when there's pain, fear, vaginismus or vulvodynia in the picture. I cover why so many of us avoid it, why the person holding the speculum often can't help, and the practical and somatic tools that let you go in on your own terms.

This video shares holistic and somatic perspectives and personal experience. It isn't medical advice. Please speak to your GP or a qualified health professional about your own screening and care.

I start with a quick word on choice. Whether you screen at all is your call, and this episode is for anyone who wants to go but is finding it hard. Then I share where I've landed with my own smear test after the reminder text reached me in Morocco. I talk about my family history of cancer and what it means to be a bridge between medicine and holistic care.

From there we get into the body and the room:

Why so many women cancel, and why a leaflet isn't the answer
Why vaginismus and vulvodynia get glossed over at screening level, and why GPs and nurses often have little or no gynae training
Vaginismus vs vulvodynia: bracing against a threat vs persistent, unexplained pain
A dentist's chair, my eight-year-old and a flippant remark: how pain gets downplayed from childhood onwards, and how humming and the vagus nerve help us regulate
Before the appointment: book unrushed time, ring ahead for the smallest speculum, time it for when your cervix sits lowest, and practise your words
Mapping your vaginal opening like a clock face so you meet your own bracing before a stranger does
In the room: what actually happens, asking for a female practitioner, agreeing a stop signal, grounding and breath
Aftercare: vaginal steaming, journaling or voice notes, and treating a flashback as information, not a setback
When it doesn't go to plan, and why it's never your body's fault

I finish with support for anyone who has experienced sexual violence, including the My Body Back Project, and a reminder that asking for what you need isn't being difficult. It's taking an active part in your own care.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to Ground Floor

00:25 Your choice: a quick word on screening

01:45 "If everyone had a leaflet": why so many women cancel

02:46 My own smear test decision

05:57 Why avoiding it makes sense

06:47 Why vaginismus and vulvodynia get glossed over

10:02 Vaginismus vs vulvodynia

12:14 The dentist's chair: how pain gets downplayed

17:59 Before the appointment: practical tips

20:52 The clock face: mapping your own bracing

24:14 In the room: what actually happens

25:55 Aftercare and vaginal steaming

26:28 None of this is you being difficult

26:55 When it doesn't go to plan

29:41 Resources: My Body Back Project

30:52 Closing thoughts

RESOURCES

📖 Ground Floor the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1066910901

🗝 The Community Circle: https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/vagina-workshop/

🪶 My website: https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/homepage/

🎙️ Ground Floor, the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ground-floor-on-vaginismus-vulvodynia-and-other-ways/id1498365947

My Body Back Project: cervical screening for people who have experienced sexual violence: https://mybodybackproject.com/

Did this episode help? Leave a five-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and a comment earns extra points. Send it to a friend who's been putting hers off. You can also find me on Beehiiv.

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