Living With Vulvodynia

“As well as the physical effects of vulvodynia, some people find that the experience of this condition can have an emotional impact” [1]

Is having sexual intercourse too painful? Do you avoid having a pelvic exam because you know it will hurt? Have you given up using tampons because you feel excruciating pain when you insert one? If you answer is “yes,” then you may have vulvodynia (pain around the vaginal and/or urethral openings).

The Physical Effects of Vulvodynia
While it has to be said that the symptoms of vulvodynia can vary from one individual to another, there is no doubt that feeling pain is the main physical effect. This impact can however, take different forms. – These include: feeling a knife-like pain, or experiencing a stinging or burning sensation. The pain can vary in intensity from severe down to mild, and everything in-between. Moreover, in many cases, the symptoms are continual. So to that end, it is crucial to book an appointment with an expert Pain Specialist, who has many years experience in the field. Unfortunately, in a high percentage of instances, general practitioners do not have the sufficient expertise to give sufferers a proper diagnosis. Moreover, they are unable to tell their patients about the latest cutting-edge treatments which have been scientifically shown to ameliorate this most unwelcome of conditions.

“The ongoing pain & discomfort that accompanies vulvodynia, can have a significant impact on emotional well-being” [1]

It is not surprising to learn that all over the world, women who have to live with vulvodynia, are often confronted by a various difficult emotions such as depression and low mood. “This can mean experiencing a variety of symptoms such as feeling sad or numb, hopeless about the future, having negative thoughts about yourself, or other people, feeling lonely, or as though you are carrying the burden of the disease without support” [1]. Clearly, this negative state of mind will have a knock-on effect to those closest to the sufferer, and marital relationships and sexual partnerships can start to fall apart as a result of a lack of normal sex, and mental stress.

Making a Positive Move
Once you have seen a Pain Specialist, and have been officially diagnosed with vulvodynia, you will be given a Personalised Treatment Plan. This is likely to include two or more different types of treatments, which are designed to treat you holistically. They may for example, include one conventional treatment, and one new cutting-edge treatment.

References

[1]. Vulva Pain Society (2021). “Living With Vulvodynia.”