Sex, fear and pain; a media hype, a lay comment, a feminist dissertation and the DSM

This text is a reflection on four sources of information on dyspareunia and vaginismus. A tv-documentary My fucking problem was followed by a forum discussion, led by journalist Sophie Hilbrands, and as a reaction Esther Polak published a personal comment in the feminist monthly Opzij. The third element that is discussed is a thorough book review on Wenn Sex schmerzt by the Viennese feminist researcher Julia Riegler. The publication is completed with a discussion on strengths and weaknesses of qualitative as well as quantitative research on dyspareunia, with a sideline towards the ongoing dispute on DSM-5’s definition of sexual pain and/or penetration problems.