Management of Female Dyspareunia with Ayurveda: A Case Report

Sexual health is an important component of women's health for maintaining physical, mental, emotional and social aspects. It involves experiencing healthy sexual relationships and timely recognising and consulting any dysfunctions like reduced desire, pleasure, painful intercourse and no conception. Dyspareunia, painful intercourse, is such common female sexual problem. It is defined as female sexual dysfunction presenting with pain during or after peno-vaginal intercourse or vaginismus affecting the marital relations. A 24-year-old married female visited the fertility outpatient department with complaints of pain during intercourse, reduced interest in sexual activity and dryness of the vagina. On vaginal examination, the patient expressed pain without any discharge or inflammatory signs. Based on these symptoms, she was administered Dhanvantara Taila Yonipichu (herbal oil vaginal tampon) once a day for seven consecutive days. The effect of the treatment was assessed through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, improvement in Frequency of Intercourse (FOI), Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) on 0th, 8th, 15th and 30th day. The case had a prospective follow-up for six months and was found to be free from all symptoms. It is evident from this case that Ayurveda treatment is effective in managing dyspareunia and enhancing the quality of sexual functioning with no adverse effects at an economical approach. Further clinical trials with a large sample size can help to explore the true efficacy of the treatment.