Many women with vaginismus can trace their symptoms to feelings of anxiety, fear, and stress. These can be more deeply rooted, or simply related to current factors of life, like lack of sleep and excessive work-related stress. Women with vaginismus are more likely than others to have deeply ingrained negativity about sex and sexuality. These feelings may date back to childhood, or they may be related to a particularly traumatic event. When negative underlying beliefs about sex start at a young age, another potential component of vaginismus comes into play--lack of proper sexual education. It is estimated that women with vaginismus are twice as likely to have a history of childhood sexual interference as non-sufferers. Events thought to contribute range from mild to severe traumas, and include the following:  sexual abuse by someone familiar sexual assault pelvic trauma domestic violence highly negative early sexual experiences with a consensual partner If you have secondary and situational vaginismus, it may be rooted in issues with a sexual or romantic partner. These issues might include a lack of trust, a fear of commitment, or a concern about becoming too vulnerable or opening yourself up to pain and disappointment. A variety of conditions may provoke or heighten the symptoms of vaginismus. This is particularly likely if your vaginismus appeared after a period of normal sexual functioning. Potential medical conditions that can contribute to vaginismus include:  urinary tract infections and other urinary problems sexually transmitted infections cancer of the sexual or reproductive organs endometriosis pelvic inflammatory disease vulvodynia or vestibulodynia Medical procedures involving female reproductive organs, like hysterectomies, can also cause vaginismus. For many women, the onset of secondary vaginismus is related to childbirth. This is more likely if it was very difficult or resulted in injuries to the sexual organs. Other women have vaginismus from the hormonal changes and dryness that usually occurs during menopause. Secondary vaginismus can also result from a fear of having children or going through childbirth. Some women never find out why they have vaginismus. They have no physical causes and no known non-physical causes. Some research even suggests that symptoms of vaginismus are part of general defense mechanisms that are triggered in threatening situations. This suggests that it need not always be viewed as a primarily sexual dysfunction.
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One-sentence summary -- Consider the role of anxiety. Recognize underlying beliefs about sex and sexuality. Understand the role of past experiences. Know that relationship difficulties may contribute. Be aware that medical conditions and medications may play a role. Acknowledge the potential role of reproductive milestones. Accept a possible lack of apparent cause(s).


When you use a tissue, put it in the toilet to flush. Similarly, when you brush your teeth, spit into the toilet bowl. On both occasions, flush the toilet twice after use. Your bodily fluids will shed radioactive material. Disposing of them this way helps keep others safe. Put the lid down to flush. Flushing the toilet twice helps ensure the radioiodine goes down the drain instead of staying in the bowl. If you're a man, sit down to urinate so you don't splash. Wipe any urine off the toilet seat after you go to the bathroom, particularly if you splash. If you spill urine or vomit, clean up the area with toilet paper and a household cleaner. With spills, always contact the radiation clinic to find out if you need to do more to clean them. After you go to the bathroom, soap up and scrub your hands thoroughly, as you'll be passing the most radioiodine in your urine. Scrub for at least 20 seconds before rinsing. If you want to be sure you're washing long enough, try humming the "Happy Birthday" song while you scrub. Showering helps wash away what your body's shedding each day in radioiodine. However, skip baths, as you'd just be soaking in radioiodine. Plus, you're more likely to leave radioiodine behind in the bathtub. You will be sweating out radioiodine, as well as passing it in other bodily fluids. Use water to clean out the sink and tub after you use them to cut down on what you leave behind. A removable shower head works well for this purpose in the bathtub.
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One-sentence summary -- Spit and dispose of used tissues in the toilet. Flush the toilet twice when you use the bathroom. Wipe down the toilet after using it. Clean your hands thoroughly every time you use the bathroom. Shower once a day. Rinse the bathtub and sink after using them.


Deep breathing helps to recover lost lung capacity. Begin either in a sitting or standing position. Place your hands on your waist and relax. Inhale as much air as possible. When you reach the maximum capacity of your lungs, hold your breath for 5 seconds. Exhale as much air as possible. Make sure that you exhale slowly and empty the lungs completely or as much as your health level permits. Repeat the procedure 10 times in each set. It is advisable to do 3-4 sets of deep breathing exercises throughout the day. Perform Pursed-lip breathing will help you increase the oxygen intake of your lungs, while decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide. Start by relaxing your entire body. You can do this in a sitting or standing position. Inhale through your nose within a span of 3 seconds. Before you exhale, you need to purse your lips as if you are going to kiss somebody. Exhale through your pursed lips within a span of 6 seconds. Inhale and exhale slowly. Don’t force the air to come in and out the lungs. Repeat the procedure. Pursed-lip breathing is done when the patient has shortness of breath. This breathing exercise should be repeated until shortness of breath is diminished. The diaphragm is the muscle that pushes and pulls air in and out of the lungs. Start by lying down on your back and bend your knees. Place one of your hands on your belly and another hand on your chest. Take a deep breath. Let your belly and lower rib cage rise while making sure that the upper chest cavity won’t move. This is the challenge you need to overcome in diaphragm breathing. Inhaling should take about 3 seconds. Exhale for 6 seconds. You need to purse your lips as well to better control your breathing. Repeat the whole procedure. At first, this exercise might be difficult for you. However, more practice and repetition of this exercise can train the diaphragm and will eventually increase your lung capacity. As time passes by, diaphragm breathing will become easier. Doing huff-cough breathing will help eliminate bacteria and respiratory secretions by triggering the cough reflex. Sit down or elevate the head of the bed if you can’t get up. Relax and prepare yourself. To do the huff-cough exercise:  Step 1: Perform 3 to 5 deep breathing exercise. Combine your breathing with the pursed-lips and diaphragm breathing exercise. Push out air as if you are coughing. When you have done 3-5 cycles of deep breathing, open your mouth but do not exhale yet. You need to hold your breath, tighten your chest and abdomen. Step 2: Force air out from the lungs in a fast manner. If you have done this correctly, you will elicit the cough reflex and loosened secretions stuck within your respiratory tract. If phlegm comes out, spit it out and repeat the whole procedure.
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One-sentence summary -- Practice deep breathing. Do pursed-lip breathing. Try breathing from your diaphragm. Practice huff-cough breathing.


Overhead lights in dark rooms are likely to cast shadows and should be avoided. Look for a desk with a lamp that you can direct or a clear counter in front of a window. Doing this will remove any dirt caked onto the surface. This loosens any dirt and dust that might be trapped in the crevices. Look for any additional trapped dirt. Avoid using a metal pick, since this may scratch glass beads or soft gemstones if your hand slips. Doing so removes most fingerprints and smudges while giving your jewelry back a bit of its original shine.
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One-sentence summary --
Find a workspace with good lighting. Use a dry baby toothbrush or similarly soft brush to gently brush the piece's surface. Hold a can of compressed air an inch or two away from the surface of your piece of costume jewelry and spray. Inspect your jewelry with a magnifying glass. Use a toothpick to carefully remove any dirt you spotted with the magnifying glass. Polish the piece with a dry, soft cloth.