Empathy, Evidence, Equity: The Patient Experience Gaps in Vulva Pain Treatment
Here at the London Pain Clinic, our Vulva Doctors like to keep patients and readers up to date on the latest news relating to both vulva pain and new innovative treatments. To that end, we would like to tell you about a recent systematic review which found that: patients think that their vulvodynia care still lags behind other chronic conditions—especially in the case of marginalised women.
A Wholly Unacceptable Situation for Vulvodynia Sufferers
Indeed, the aforementioned review determined that vulvodynia patients are confronted by significant barriers to care. These include:
- Delays in receiving a diagnosis from the practitioner
- Inaccuracies in diagnosis [which can lead to patients needlessly suffering for years on end]
- Long wait times for vulvodynia treatment [this is in stark contrast to here at the London Pain Clinic, where after providing an accurate diagnosis, our Vulva Specialists prescribe a fully comprehensive multi-dimensional treatment protocol right from the get-go]
- Dismissal of patient symptoms which results in an unacceptable patient experience – especially when vulvodynia is contrasted with other long-term conditions
- Marginalised women can experience even higher disparities in patient care. Indeed, as our Pain Consultants are fully aware, these gaps can intensify already existing health inequities
- The practitioner does not have sufficient education or information on vulvodynia. This includes the disorder’s symptoms and causes [for example, here in the UK, GPs have not undergone the necessary additional years of training and in-house clinical experience as that attained by a Vulva Pain Doctor. – The latter of whom are able to provide a correct diagnosis and a multifaceted Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan which incorporates conventional treatment and state-of-the-art cutting-edge therapies and injectables including pain blockers and Botox]
- Patient isolation, stigma and emotional distress due to the aforementioned experiences which can foster a long-term psychological and emotional burden. This can leave vulvodynia sufferers feeling shamed, mentally taxed, in despair, and frustrated [1]
Highlights of the Review
These show that: “women often report feeling unheard and dismissed by healthcare professionals, with their symptoms and pain experiences being minimised and misunderstood. Societal normalization of women’s pain compounds the general lack of awareness of vulvodynia as a chronic condition, often requiring persistence from individuals to secure a diagnosis. Many women remain unaware of available treatment options. These challenges may discourage individuals from seeking help, resulting in adverse health and well-being-related outcomes” [1].
Clearly, this situation is unacceptable, and this is why our renowned world-class Pain Doctors (who are based in at the London Pain Clinic in Harley Street, and consult patients either in the clinic or online), have been leading the way in disrupting this agonising scenario (which is both literal and figurative). Indeed, our Vulva Pain Consultant Dr Chris Jenner, MBBS FRCA FFPMRCA, has even written a well received book entitled Viva la Vulva. He did thisin order to stop the stigma, encourage further research, and educate people about this condition which can in some instances feel like having a red hot poker in the private region, and can impact everyday life and intimate relationships.
Review Conclusion
“This review highlights critical gaps in vulvodynia research. Despite considerable research efforts, vulvodynia remains poorly understood. Addressing methodological weaknesses and involving patients more robustly in research design are essential to advance knowledge and improve care outcomes in vulvodynia” [1]. – All aspects that our Pain Doctors are fully aware of, and totally concur with.
Reference
[1]. Lountzi AZ, Abhyankar P, Durand H. A scoping review of vulvodynia research: Diagnosis, treatment, and care experiences. Womens Health (Lond). 2025 Jan-Dec;21. as cited by NIH PMC.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12174717/#:~:text=The%20combination%20of%20low%20help,2