I heard a lecture the other day in which a sex therapist mentioned the vaginal pain condition vulvodynia. Can you give me a better idea of what this is? I think I may have it.
Vulvodynia describes a variety of conditions related to pain in the vulva area (i.e., the external part of the female genitalia including the outer and inner lips, the vestibule surrounds the opening of the vagina and the urethra, the perineum which is the area between the bottom of the vulva and the anus). It is usually characterized by burning, stinging, irritation or rawness of the vulva in cases in which there is no infection or skin disease of the vulva or vagina causing these symptoms. The name vulvodynia, (Greek for "vulvar pain") was coined in the 1980s as an umbrella term for all vulvar diseases, including infections and vaginal atrophy at menopause -- conditions which have known causes and are treatable.
Past research literature focused almost exclusively on painful sexual intercourse as the primary symptom of vulvar pain. In real life, women have reported a wide variety of physical symptoms including: itching, stinging, burning, shooting pains, hypersensitivity and sensations of dryness or swelling anywhere in the vulvar skin -- including the vaginal opening, the outer and inner vaginal lips, and clitoris.
Some researchers indicate that women with this condition are sometimes unable to wear underwear, tailored pants or jeans because fabric touching and pulling the skin and pubic hair is uncomfortable and even downright painful.
A variety of surgical and pharmacological treatments (steroids, antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral medications) have been tried -- with little success. Pain management therapies for chronic pain, such as tricyclic antidepressants, antiseizure drugs, and nerve blocks have also been tried; but they generally provide, at best, only inadequate or temporary relief.
Some strategies that have reduced the discomfort include:
It is possible to maintain a satisfying sexual life with this type of condition -- it may simply take a little more planning and a lot of communication.
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