HelloGina
*I have no affiliation with HelloGina. The content of this article is my own opinion and understanding of the product. Always talk with your medical provider before beginning a new treatment program of any kind.
Hello, hello, Bestie! Welcome home. Today, I wanted to chat about HelloGina, an app that strives to help vagina owners manage painful penetrative intercourse. HelloGina is a child of the brand HelloBetter, a German company that offers psychological courses with the goal of treating and preventing mental illness. Let’s talk about what HelloGina offers and what the evidence says regarding HelloGina outcomes.
What does HelloGina offer?
HelloGina is an app that offers its users a digital program and a personal coach to help them “understand, navigate, and overcome the discomfort associated with penetration” (1). The company claims to be the first and only evidence-based digital therapy for overcoming pain and anxiety surrounding vaginal penetration and specifically targets folks with vaginismus (1). As a reminder, vaginismus is a type of sexual dysfunction in which penetrative vaginal intercourse cannot be experienced without pain and vaginal muscles involuntarily and persistently contract. The platform can be accessed via computer, tablet, or smartphone and will run you (as of January 2025) $288 USD for a year of access to your digital program and coach. While you have a year of access with your purchase, the program is designed to be completed in 12 weeks. The program uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to teach participants about their sexual anatomy, how to practice relaxation and pelvic floor exercises, and learn to insert a dilator.
Why might folks want to use HelloGina?
A desire for a decrease in pain with vaginal penetration is not linked solely to the desire for penetrative intercourse. Remember that sex describes a wide range of acts and vaginally penetrative intercourse is just one of the many options for sex. Some folks may not have interest in penetrative intercourse, but still want to experience less pain with penetration for other reasons. For example, improving the ability to tolerate vaginal penetration may allow someone to use tampons, menstruation cups, or improve their experience with the speculum at the gynecologist’s office. Vaginismus impacts more than just penetration for intercourse.
What does the research say?
Two main studies support the use of HelloGina for the treatment of vaginismus, both studying whether internet-based CBT-type intervention could be beneficial for the condition. The first, from 2017, looked at 77 women who had not had penetrative vaginal intercourse for more than 6 months (2). Researchers found that in the intervention group, there was a significant increase in penetrative intercourse at 6 months after beginning treatment (2). The same result was not found in the non-intervention group (2). The second study showed similar results, but looked at a larger group of 200 women (3). Results showed that 31% of participants in the intervention group were able to have vaginally penetrative sex after completing the course, which was significantly higher than the 13% able to have vaginally penetrative sex in the non-intervention group (3). Both of these studies support the efficacy of internet-based CBT treatment as a therapy modality for the improvement of vaginismus.
My thoughts:
I think HelloGina is a really cool option that seems to be filling a unique space in the women’s health market. CBT has been shown to be effective in the treatment of vaginismus (4). However, the use of CBT through digital platforms (applications) is more recent and seems to be similarly effective (2). Vaginismus is a complicated problem that requires a faceted solution. While I think HelloGina is a fantastic tool, I wonder if it might work even better in conjunction with other treatments, such as pelvic health physical therapy. A pelvic health physical therapist can be a game-changer when it comes to truly understanding how the pelvic floor muscles work. It is my opinion that some candidates would benefit from using HelloGina in conjunction with pelvic health physical therapy. However, I also recognize that over-medicalization of an issue can be more damaging than healing. For some folks, doing too many treatments simultaneously can lead to a hyperfixation on the issue at hand and delay or disrupt improvement. Each individual should consider the best scenario for them.
Something else I really like about this treatment option is the low barrier-to-entry. While it is not cheap, it may be a cheaper option than many other medical treatment options. Further, the treatment-via-app design provides a lot of comfortability for its users. Folks can work on their program from the comfort of their own homes. Also, some folks find it difficult to talk with a physical therapist or psychotherapist face-to-face with regard to such sensitive and sometimes taboo topics. The use of a digital platform may provide a sense of safety for some users who are less comfortable starting with in-person visits.
If you’ve tried HelloGina, let me know what you thought about it! Did it provide you the relief and tools you were after? Let’s chat soon.
XOXO,
Your Pelvic Bestie
References:
Anna-Carlotta Zarski, Matthias Berking, Christina Fackiner, Christian Rosenau, David Daniel Ebert, Internet-Based Guided Self-Help for Vaginal Penetration Difficulties: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 14, Issue 2, February 2017, Pages 238–254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.12.232
Zarski, Anna-Carlotta,Berking, Matthias,Ebert, David Daniel. Efficacy of internet-based treatment for genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol 89(11), Nov 2021, 909-924
ter Kuile MM, van Lankveld JJ, de Groot E, Melles R, Neffs J, Zandbergen M. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for women with lifelong vaginismus: process and prognostic factors. Behav Res Ther. 2007 Feb;45(2):359-73. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.03.013. Epub 2006 May 15. PMID: 16701078.
*The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives
