Easing the Pain of Vulvodynia
Vulvodynia, a chronic pain condition of the vulva, affects up to 15 percent of women at some point in their lives. For some women, it resolves itself with treatment or gradually improves over time, but a lot of women have it permanently.
Symptoms include:
• Pain at the vulva (the opening to the vagina) and the surrounding areas.
• A specific sore area on the vulva that is more painful than other areas. If you imagine a clock face over the vulva, this sore area is usually at the 5 o clock point
• A constant or intermittent burning pain in the skin of the vulva.
• Shooting or stabbing pains in the vulva.
• Pain when wearing tight clothing, such as jeans.
• Contact pain (pain when cycling, sitting on hard chairs, trying to insert tampons)
• Pain when attempting sexual intercourse.
• Sore, dry skin.
• Feeling as if the area is swollen even when there is no visible sign.
• Redness when there is no infection or other cause.
• Itching, irritation.
If the usual treatment of anti-depressants to alter nerve function is not having an effect on you, there are other ways to ease the pain of vulvodynia and get your life back.
Get Tested for Infection
A lot of vulvodynia sufferers test positive for E-coli and candida bacteria. Some have repeated infections that do not respond to treatment. Some specialists believe that vulvodynia is caused by chronic candida or an over-sensitivity or allergy to candida. If in doubt, ask your gynaecologist for a series of swabs to check for its presence. You can also be tested for candida antibodies that would show whether you are allergic.
Long term treatment with an anti-thrush drug may then be given. This should be in tablet form, rather than topical as the topical creams can actually trigger vulvodynia.
Some women have found that using tea tree cream regularly on the affected areas eases their symptoms. Tea tree and neem pessaries are available from some online stores and natural health shops. They are very antiseptic and can prevent infections and reduce or stop symptoms like burning when urinating.
Get Your Hormone Levels Tested
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment3 Comments
I was diagnosed with Vulvodynia in 2002. Fortunately, it only took the third doctor I saw to make the diagnosis. The first few years were nearly unbearable and there were times when I questioned whether I could continue to live with the pain. The worst part was not knowing why this condition existed and accepting the fact that there was not a cure.
I had to give up wearing pants, shorts, and even stockings. Even certain types of panties would trigger an episode. My sex life with my husband became a place of disappointment and anger. Any action that caused arousal would trigger the pain! There were many times when I was intimate with my husband because I did not want to give up that part of our life. I would suffer for days afterward and my husband would feel awful.
Nine years later and every non-invasive "cure" explored, my pain is manageable most days. I am in the process of identifying and eliminating possible trigger foods as well as reducing the amount of yeast that I ingest.
I also have fibromyalgia which can be co-morbid with vulvodynia. In the years since I was diagnosed, there have been some amazing breakthroughs but there is no "one size fits all".
If you are reading this, please know that you are not alone and it will get better! Try EVERYTHING to find out if something works for you and find a doctor who is willing to work with you.
May all beings be happy!
April 19, 2011 - 2:31pmThis Comment
Hello
Thanks for your comments and hope you will get better.
I too have vulvodynia, hence my interest in writing about this subject. I have had it since 1989 so that's 22 years now :( Although back then it was not diagnosed, I don't think many doctors had even heard of it then. I was diagnosed in 1996 and that was after many mis-diagnoses and one doctor saying it was all in my head. Like you with your fibromyalgia, I also have other problems (hyperacusis and neuralgia, both nerve disorders, same as the vulvodynia). It frustrated me greatly to read in the Townsend Newsletter that women with vulvodynia are normally healthy because there's so many I've heard of who also have other issues and a paper I read that said the immune systems of women with vulvodynia are abnormal in comparison to healthy women, so I think the doctor in the Townsend newsletter was incorrect.
Half the time I am tested I show positive for candida or e-coli, yet aggressive treatments for months with diflucan do nothing (I had a six month course once and still tested positive for candida). The doctors say they don't know what has caused my vulvodynia but I feel it has an infectious root. My symptoms decrease dramatically when I use tea tree cream which is anti-bacterial, so that further makes me suspect a chronic bacterial infection that just won't go away and has damaged my nerves.
Like you, I am just beginning to consider detox as a possible solution (chelating of metals, probiotic and mineral support, epsom salt baths and modification of my diet - I haven't done any of these things yet but am about to embark on them). My gynaecologist is also sending me to an acupuncturist as he says they have had some successes in curing with that - perhaps you could try that too?
I hope your journey through the vulvodynia puzzle is shorter than mine.
Best wishes and good luck to you,
Joanna.
April 19, 2011 - 3:28pmI have so many of the symptoms, going back to my GYN in a few weeks. I have changed my diet, cut out most of my caffenine intake, take a mulit vitamin, drink plenty of water, cran berry pomegranate juice, take fiber,a nd I read that Fish Oil could help vagainal dryness. Alas, Fish oil didnt agreew ith me, so I started codlive oil pills 2 months ago and they have helped. I still cant; weat jean, or sit down on a chair with oout a pillow. I have no discharge or odor.
June 3, 2011 - 10:30am