Hey everyone I'm new and confused. Does this sound like Vulvodynia?

Hey everyone, so I'll start from the beginning. Im 19 years old, and about a year and a half ago, I had sex for the first time. It felt like it hurt more than it should but I thought it was normal pain since it was my first time. After having it a few times though I realized it was hurting a lot more on only one side. I got kind of worried but it went away when I stopped having it, and didn't really bother me. But it really hurt to be fingered as well, again just on one side. From then on, I would have weeks where that same area would hurt, like when I wore tight clothing, or after having sex, and the area hurts upon touch. But then it would almost just seem to go away, until I did one of those things again. About a week ago, I started getting burning after I got my period, and it was really intense, it put me in a really bad mood, and it felt horrible. I finally went to the DR, who thought it was herpes, but she didn't see any blisters, and all the tests for STDS came back negative, there is no cyst, and no yeast infection. It still hurts down there, especially when I walk, not a lot, just kind of like a dull pain, in just one spot. Its just upon entry of the vagina. Does this sound like it could be vulvodynia? Thank you so much for reading and for your help!

Hi Bananasmiles,

Your pain sounds like provoked vestibulodynia, which is just a fancy way of saying your vestibule hurts from pressure. Vestibulodynia and vulvodynia describe symptoms, not the cause of the pain. For your situation, you may want to research pelvic floor dysfunction, overactive/damaged nerves, pudendal neuralgia, etc.

Have you been seen by a pelvic floor physical therapist, or have you tried any antidepressants or anticonvulsants for nerve pain (e.g. gabapentine, amitriptyline, etc.)?

What else have you tried to relieve your pain? Do you find that any specific time of the month is worse than others?

emalita wrote:Hi Bananasmiles,

Your pain sounds like provoked vestibulodynia, which is just a fancy way of saying your vestibule hurts from pressure. Vestibulodynia and vulvodynia describe symptoms, not the cause of the pain. For your situation, you may want to research pelvic floor dysfunction, overactive/damaged nerves, pudendal neuralgia, etc.

Have you been seen by a pelvic floor physical therapist, or have you tried any antidepressants or anticonvulsants for nerve pain (e.g. gabapentine, amitriptyline, etc.)?

What else have you tried to relieve your pain? Do you find that any specific time of the month is worse than others?

Hey! I haven't researched much into that, but I just looked them up, and I guess really any of them could be a possibility? Im not sure. I haven't seen any specialty doctors, just a general doctor. I do have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which I don't know if that makes it worse? Also the guy who I lost my virginity to, did not go gentle on me, and so I'm thinking he could possibly have damaged a nerve or something. I haven't asked for antidepressants, but I can give it a try if it helps. The one thing I always find to help is sitting in the jacuzzi, and no it is not worse at any specific time, except maybe when I get my period.
Is there a reason it only hurts on one side? Thanks for the quick reply!!

Unfortunately there could be so many different reasons why it only hurts on one side. We all are different, and our bodies react to this horrible condition in such unique ways. The best answer I can give is that there is no good reason, and it's just because your body has decided to hurt on that one side Your pain could definitely have been caused by something your first partner aggravated, or that could have just been your first trigger.

Did you notice any pain prior to your first time having sex (e.g. inserting a tampon or finger)?

Personally, I would suggest trying to see a pelvic floor physical therapist prior to going the prescription route just because I'm not the biggest fan of prescriptions that I have to take for the rest of my life. If you do want to try a prescription first, see if your doctor can prescribe them in a compounded cream that is applied directly to the vulva. This will help cut down on side effects. You will probably need to see an experienced vulvar specialist in order to have the best recommendations and follow up with the prescriptions.

I'm not sure where you're located, but pelvic floor physical therapists are a lot more common in many areas than most women realize. Plus, if nothing else, the therapist could probably recommend a good vulvar specialist to work with.

Keep us updated on how you're doing!

Yes I'm sorry to say it does sound like provoked v. I have the same thing, it used to feel like a burning/stabbing pain, which for me was caused by a severe allergic reaction of the glands in that area. I also had discomfort during my period due to the moisture causing chaffing. Things got way better after I pinpointed my sulfate/detergent allergy though, and I've talked to a few other women that have the same allergy/reaction. I still have a bit of nerve pain from years of this, which I'm treating as a separate issue, but it's like 90 percent better. You can read my story in my sig for all the details