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vaginal dilators for painful intercourse?
hello, all! it's been a while. i'm now using nfm (thanks to all of you who pointed me in the direction of information about it) and loving it. my body is glad to no longer feel nauseous from the pill all the time! 
i'm writing because i have a newly married friend who's having problems consummating because it's so painful for her. she was a virgin before marriage and thinks it's just a matter of stretching her vagina. she told me her husband can only get part of the way in her before she feels intense, sharp pain and they have to stop.
i've heard that vaginal dilators can be very helpful for these kinds of situations and was just wondering if any of you have an experience with particular brands or how well they work.
thanks in advance!
ashley
Re: vaginal dilators for painful intercourse?
Has she gone to her Ob-gyn? Perhaps her hymen has not completely broken. It can be surgically removed if necessary.
And is she really taking her time with sex? Many times people aren't doing enough foreplay...her dh should be making sure she orgasms before intercourse is attempted. They should actually take intercourse off the table for 60 days. They can have orgasms together, just no penetration until she is able to comfortably accept fingers and perhaps a dildo. By taking intercourse off the menu for a while, she will get a chance to get used to it and not form negative associations with the act of sex.
This could definitely mean her hymen is still intact. She should definitely go to her OBGYN and see if that's the case. This was my exact situation and it turned out I had a micro-perforate hymen and had to have it surgically removed. I also needed to use dilators after the surgery as well, but they've helped me make huge progress (I was able to have my first full exam ever very recently, which is a huge deal).
http://ww2.pureromance.com/PublicStore/product/Vaginal-Dilator-Set,290,147.aspx <-- this is the set I got, they have 6 sizes rather than the 4 sizes that vaginismus.com had, which was helpful for me.
Thank you, everyone, for all the suggestions!
Ashley