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Vestibulodynia is a chronic type of vulvar pain that affects at least 16% of women in the United States. The condition is often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all due to a lack of knowledge among health care professionals. Delayed diagnosis puts a woman at risk for sexual dysfunction, decreased quality of life, and relationship conflict.
© 2011 Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates Urologic Nursing, pp. 51-54.
Key Words: Vestibulodynia, vulvar vestibulitis syndrome, vulvodynia, dyspareunia, female sexual dysfunction, International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Diseases (ISSVD), National Vulvodynia Association (NVA), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
Vulvodynia is a chronic type of pain that affects the vulvar area and occurs without an identifiable cause or visible pathology. There are two subtypes of vulvodynia: provoked vestibulodynia (also referred to as vulvar vestibulitis syndrome) and generalized vulvodynia. Vulvodynia is classified according to the site of the pain as generalized or localized and whether the pain occurs provoked, unprovoked, or mixed (Collins et al., 2005). Friedrich (1988) defined provoked vestibulodynia (vulvar vestibulitis) as severe pain upon touch of the vestibule and erythema surrounding the vestibule or vestibular glands.
Vulvodynia affects about 16% of women in the U.S. (Harlow & Stewart, 2003). A study from the National Institutes of Health estimates that 13 million women suffer from symptoms of vulvodynia at some point in their lifetime (Harlow & Stewart, 2003). However, these prevalence rates are thought to be under-reported because up to 30% of women do not seek medical care. If they do seek medical care, their condition is often misdiagnosed due to inconsistent diagnostic criteria or a lack of knowledge among health care professionals (Ayers et al., 2006).
In the past, vulvodynia was thought to affect only white, nulliparous women, but it is now known to affect women of all ethnic backgrounds and age groups from adolescence through menopause (Harlow & Stewart, 2003). Interest in vulvodynia has increased since the 1970s due to the founding of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Diseases (ISSVD). The ISSVD was founded at the Sixth World Congress of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for individuals throughout the world who shared a special interest in vulvovaginal disease. The mission of the ISSVD is to promote international communication...