Birth Control Pill

Do you guys think that birth control pills could aggravate vulvodynia? It seems to me that when I wasn't on the pill (Yasmin), I didn't experience the kind of pain with penetration that I am experiencing now.
I think I might stop taking it...

I just found this on vulvodynia .com

"Nonetheless, a few of the more
striking correlations: many women with vulvar pain are light-skinned and
of Northern or Eastern European descent; and many have previously injured
their lower back. Many have had problems with recurrent yeast infections.
A very large number have reported the pain has intensified when they were
on birth control pills and also gets worse before or during their periods."

I'm just curious - did you stop taking your yasmin to see what happened? I'm also taking yasmin, have been taking it since I was 18 (im 22 now) and first started having sex. I did notice that my pain did get a lot worse after having been on the pill for a couple months when I was first taking it, and then stayed at that level... would be curious to find out if stopping the yasmin helped you!

I have become more and more suspicious that Yasmin may have been the cause of my vulvodynia, b/c I have problems w/ my tissue being inflamed that I believe caused the initial pain (which then led to pelvic floor muscle issues from spasming). Unfortunately I was on it for SIX YEARS (regretting that so much now) and only just went off it in late August. My sex life in my last relationship basically completely died AWHILE ago and we broke up in November (not over that, we were not good together for a number of reasons and the breakup was actually a huge relief) - so I have not tried having sex since being off it and would like to get my hormones tested. However I will say since being off it, I feel like things are a little less dry down there and I DEFINITELY have much more of a libido. I had no idea how much the pill was KILLING my sex drive - I had blamed it almost entirely on the pain, but even though I still have some general burning/stinging I have been much more interested in sex lately than in a LONG time (but of course now if it happens down the road it will be with a new person which I have no idea how to handle).

If anyone else has experiences with VV & Yasmin I would love to hear more about it... On the one hand if it's linked to the pill it gives me some hope that some of the damage is reversible, but I know that SGBH levels can stay permanently messed up b/c of it. Ugh. It makes me so furious that doctors here don't think twice about prescribing it to young women and even teens to take for years and years on end...

I've been in and aroudn the block when it comes to birth control. I tried yasmin, but suffered an allergic reaction.

But this is an interesting question. My fiance tends to think there is a link, as I'm more likely to try intercourse when I'm off the pill (less pain associated on the outer region).

I was on Yasmin for a few years too but I hadn't been taking it for at least a couple of years before any V pain started. I have seen rather alot of women mention Yasmin as the pill they were on before V so whether it's connected or just a coincidence I don't know. I was put on Yasmin because all other pills made me bleed continuously which makes me a bit suspicious of my hormones to be honest.

Kriskin wrote:Do you guys think that birth control pills could aggravate vulvodynia? It seems to me that when I wasn't on the pill (Yasmin), I didn't experience the kind of pain with penetration that I am experiencing now.
I think I might stop taking it...

I don't know about Yasmin, but what I do know is...

When I first started to get my symptoms (well, after a good 9 months of symptoms, and over a year of recurrent yeast infections) I was referred to a gynaecologist who ordered a biopsy of the skin, and also to check my hormone levels via a blood test.

Before I got around to having the biopsy done, the bloods came back and my gyno said that if I stop taking the pill (microgynon) I will improve within a few months. I stopped immediately, and within three weeks I was completely cured of all my vestibulodynia symptoms. This lasted about 9 months, and then the symptoms came back.

I've tried different pills since then, but it was extremely difficult to judge any of them as I already had my usual extreme symptoms, so it was more a case of are any of the pills making it worse or keeping the symptoms at the same level.

Anyway, I gave up completely on all of the pills and as I can't physically have sex at all right now, it's not too much of an issue.

I'd advise people to avoid them, but I'm adament it's all completely subjective. I've read plenty of times that the pill can help some people. I think it's just trial and error with everything in this game!

I wanted to post about my story to reiterate that there are DEFINITELY cases where VVS is caused by hormonal contraceptives, even when not immediately obvious.
I want to desperately encourage anyone who has VVS to come off hormonal contraceptives if possible.

In 2012, I had unprotected sex and took the morning after pill. I developed vestibule redness/soreness/itchiness. The clinic confirmed a Yeast & BV infection, explaining that this was common after sex (though I had never had any vaginal problems for years before). They also put me on the Pill (Microgynon 30). The infections cleared (tested negative) but my symptoms remained constant.

My symptoms extended beyond vestibule pain. I also had itchiness, redness & subtle inflammation of the whole vestibule (localised to this area), my vestibule skin started to tear during sex, get more inflammed & very regularly develop new infections (Yeast/Bacterial). I also had a lot of discomfort/itchiness in & around my anus.

Firstly, this made me question whether I had VVS because I didn't just have pain of the vestibule, as I kept getting infections too (now I understand that women with VVS are often simply more prone to infections & discomfort of the whole area).
Secondly, I assumed my VVS must have been caused by the infections (proliferation of nerves in the vestibule after infection), because the symptoms I had felt like they were permanent, that the skin itself was not normal anymore & seemed irreparable.

I didn't come off the Pill until mid 2013, when I had read more info about a link. I felt I should just come off it in case it might have been making anything worse.

The reality was (by my complete surprise and total elation) that within a month, my vestibule returned to completely normal and ALL other related symptoms also disappeared — the anal discomfort/itchiness & bring prone to developing infections.

I hadn't thought the Pill could be causing my VVS, because I had developed the infections before I started the Pill (I didn't consider at the time that just before I got the infections, I had taken the morning after pill which is a huge dose of progesterone). I also had no understanding of hormones & no idea how they could cause pain in a specific area of the body like this! Every doctor I asked said there was no way the Pill was relevant, which made me have little hope.

I believe there are 2 main causes for VVS — hormonal or a response to an infection. But there can be an overlap, and I didn't consider the Pill could be the cause because I kept getting the infections. But I was mistaken (and so were over 10 doctors & specialists).

I really hope this can help any women suffering.

As a side point, unfortunately, after being perfectly normal for 18 months, this year I developed infections (no hormones involved) and VVS has fully returned. I feel that my body has learned how it responded to infections when I was on the Pill, and now the nerves are irritated again = VVS Sad

A2015