Vulvodynia is pain in the outer part of the female genitals (vulva). The vulva is made up of the:
VulvaCopyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
The exact cause is not known. It may be due to:
This problem is more common in women who are 20 to 40 years of age.
Other things that may raise the risk are:
The main symptom is vulvar pain that lasts more than three months.
A woman may have:
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. You may also have a pelvic exam. This is often enough to make the diagnosis.
Tests may be done to rule out other causes for the pain.
The goal of treatment is to ease pain. Options are:
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
http://www.acog.org
National Vulvodynia Association
http://www.nva.org
Canadian Women's Health Network
http://www.cwhn.ca
Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
http://www.sogc.org
ACOG Practice Bulletin Summary, No. 224: Diagnosis and management of vulvar skin disorders. Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Jul;136(1):222-225.
Tam T, Levine EM: Female sexual dysfunction in women with pelvic pain. Semin Reprod Med 2018;36(5):1-7.
Vulvodynia. American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor website. Available at:
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Accessed October 15, 2020.
Vulvodynia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/vulvodynia. Accessed October 15, 2020.
Vulvodynia. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed October 15, 2020.
What is vulvodynia? National Vulvodynia Association website. Available at:
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Accessed October 15, 2020.
Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Elliot M. Levine, MD, FACOG