If you haven’t heard the term, “vaginismus” refers to vaginal tightness during, or even preventing, sexual intercourse. It’s not widely talked about, but it definitely exists.

But how many women suffer from it.

Vaginismus.com estimates that it affects roughly every 2 in 1K women. In the US, as of the 2010 census, that amounts to 313K+ women, assuming it has an equal distribution, or affects women of all ages equally.

But since it’s such a private matter, and women may be ashamed and/or embarrassed to speak up about it, there’s no way to get a firmer number.

Other statistics cited on the page estimate that vaginismus occurs more often in women ages 15-24, since attempted first intercourse generally falls within that range. The Masters & Johnson Institute and the Center for Human Sexuality put the rate of vaginismus in their patients at 20% and 40%, respectively.