Hello, I recently saw a vulvodynia expert in Washington, D.C. He diagnosed me and here is some information I have to add.
There are a supposed 12 reasons/cures for vestibulodynia pain, but most of them have to do with infections or other curable diseases. The last two are: 1) If it was caused by birth control, you can stop the birth control and take a estrogen/testosterone compound. 2) If you were born with it, you can either take antidepressants/seizure medicine for the rest of your life, use a PAINFUL chili-cream every night to help desensitize your vestibule (only reduces pain a little and need to keep up with it), or you can get surgery.
If you are like me and were born with this problem, it really seems like surgery is the only option. For those of you that have always had problems using tampons, I ask you, does it hurt or feel uncomfortable to place your finger into your belly button? The skin in your belly button is found in one other spot and I'm sure you can guess where that is - the vestibule.
Here are some statistics I got on the surgery.
- It is expensive. Insurance will cover hospital costs, but the procedure itself is out of network and requires a LOT of fighting to even get some money back. We were estimated costs at around $8,000
- It has a long and painful recovery time. Two weeks bedrest, and for six weeks afterwards you will barely even be able to walk (and walk like a pencil).
- After those six weeks you need to use dilators, slowly working up in size to stretch out your vagina or you will be right back where you started... Painful and impossible sex.
- The surgery covers up a gland that produces lubricant, so you will have 25% less lubrication than normal
- A study was done on 213 female patients that got the surgery done... 58% could have sex completely normal and pain free (provided they used lubricant), 30% could have sex with only moderate pain, and 12% still had severe pain (but many of these people admitted they did not use the dilators).
- After having a baby, 90% of patients could have sex completely pain free (because it stretched the vagina)
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Hello, I recently saw a vulvodynia expert in Washington, D.C. He diagnosed me and here is some information I have to add.
There are a supposed 12 reasons/cures for vestibulodynia pain, but most of them have to do with infections or other curable diseases. The last two are: 1) If it was caused by birth control, you can stop the birth control and take a estrogen/testosterone compound. 2) If you were born with it, you can either take antidepressants/seizure medicine for the rest of your life, use a PAINFUL chili-cream every night to help desensitize your vestibule (only reduces pain a little and need to keep up with it), or you can get surgery.
If you are like me and were born with this problem, it really seems like surgery is the only option. For those of you that have always had problems using tampons, I ask you, does it hurt or feel uncomfortable to place your finger into your belly button? The skin in your belly button is found in one other spot and I'm sure you can guess where that is - the vestibule.
Here are some statistics I got on the surgery.
March 26, 2011 - 11:21am- It is expensive. Insurance will cover hospital costs, but the procedure itself is out of network and requires a LOT of fighting to even get some money back. We were estimated costs at around $8,000
- It has a long and painful recovery time. Two weeks bedrest, and for six weeks afterwards you will barely even be able to walk (and walk like a pencil).
- After those six weeks you need to use dilators, slowly working up in size to stretch out your vagina or you will be right back where you started... Painful and impossible sex.
- The surgery covers up a gland that produces lubricant, so you will have 25% less lubrication than normal
- A study was done on 213 female patients that got the surgery done... 58% could have sex completely normal and pain free (provided they used lubricant), 30% could have sex with only moderate pain, and 12% still had severe pain (but many of these people admitted they did not use the dilators).
- After having a baby, 90% of patients could have sex completely pain free (because it stretched the vagina)
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