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By Benson Ang
SHE could not have sex with her husband of 10 years because whenever they tried, her body would tense up.
Melissa (not her real name), 35, suffered from an unusual sexual condition called vaginismus, in which the muscles around the vagina involuntarily tighten, making intercourse painful or impossible.
The Ministry of Health does not track the number of vaginismus cases here, but Professor P. Ganesan Adaikan, clinical sexologist from the National University Hospital, and Dr B. Srilatha, a research fellow at National University of Singapore who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology, told The New Paper that they see 20 to 30 such cases a year.
In an e-mail reply, they said it is related to "either perceived or real pain at attempted vaginal intercourse".
The condition has also been documented by Dr V. Atputharajah, an obstetrician and gynaecologist from Mount Alvernia Hospital, who wrote about it in his book Virgin Wives: Women With Unconsummated Marriages.