One in four women experiences persistent vulvar pain without any visible clues for the source of the pain. We make every effort to diagnose the cause so we can offer effective treatment.
What causes vulvar/vaginal pain?
Most vulvar or vaginal pain disorders are identified on physical exam with obvious pathology or source of pain. On the other hand, vulvodynia, a condition of persistent vulvar pain effecting upwards of 1 out of 4 women, occurs with out any visible clues for the source of the pain. The current definition of vulvodynia is chronic vulvar discomfort most characterized as burning occurring in the absence or physical findings or a clinically identifiable neurologic disorder. It is a diagnosis made by excluding all other causes. Pain has to be present for more than 3 - 6 months.
There are a number of causes of vulvar/vaginal pain – thus NOT vulvodynia:
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Vulvar and vaginal infection
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Genital Herpes
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Lichen Sclerosus
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Lichen Simplex Chronicus
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Lichen Planus
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Atrophic vaginitis
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Pudendal, genitofemoral, ilioinguinal Nerve Injury
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Sacral meningeal (Tarlov ) Cyst
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Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
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Labral Hip tear
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Herniated LS Disks
Careful evaluation and examination by our team can lead to diagnosis and effective treatment