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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
How do you diagnose vulvodynia?
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Women's Health Queensland Wide provides free health information for Queensland women. View Profile
The term vulvodynia literally means pain of the vulva. The International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) describes vulvodynia as vulval ‘discomfort, pain, irritation, burning or rawness in the absence of visible or neurological findings’. While numerous factors have been suggested as causing vulvodynia, no single causal factor has been proven to date.
The pain experienced by women with vulvodynia varies in intensity from mild to severe and be consistent or intermittent. Certain activities can exacerbate pain with the most common being penetrative sex. Wearing tight clothing, riding a bicycle, inserting a tampon, having a pelvic examination or sitting for long periods of time can also cause pain.
Often, women experience the pain for a number of years and consult a number of practitioners before being diagnosed. The chronic pain of vulvodynia coupled with difficulty in obtaining an accurate diagnosis can lead women to suffer mental and emotional health problems such as depression. Women may also experience sexual and relationship difficulties.
For further information see our Vulval Conditions fact sheet.
For more information Queensland women can call the Health Information on 3839 9988 or 1800 017 676 (toll free outside Brisbane). Please note that all health information provided by Women’s Health Queensland Wide is subject to this disclaimer.
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