Vulva News and Research

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The vulva is the external genital organs of the female. In colloquial speech, the term ''vagina'' is often wrongly used to refer to the female genitals generally. The vagina is a specific internal structure, whereas the vulva is the whole exterior genitalia.

Wearing tight pants and pubic-hair removal linked to increased risk of vulvodynia

Risk of chronic vulva discomfort and pain nearly doubled by removing hair from mons pubis, or wearing tight-fitting jeans or pants four or more times a week.

9 May 2019

Revolutionary treatment uses fat cells to correct vaginal and post-menopausal problems

For the first time ever British women are being offered a revolutionary new treatment to correct a broad range of vaginal, gynecological and post-menopausal related problems.

3 Apr 2019

Researchers uncover mechanism that initiates sexual organs maturation

Puberty is a period of extensive changes of body morphology and function. As much as we are familiar with these life-altering changes, relatively little is known about what sets the whole process in motion.

26 Mar 2019

Sexual function in women with vulva pain improved with oral nerve pain medication

Women with chronic pain or discomfort around the vulva showed improved sexual function with an oral nerve pain medication used to treat pain caused by a previous herpes infection as well as fibromyalgia, according to a Rutgers study.

2 Jan 2019

Mailing at-home HPV tests may be viable approach for screening hard-to-reach women

Screening women for HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a promising way to help detect cervical cancer early, but many at-risk women go without screening for the virus and without Pap tests that look for abnormal cells on the cervix.

28 Nov 2018

HPV vaccination offers best protection against cervical and genital cancers

In low-resource countries without well-developed screening programs, expanding access to human papilloma virus vaccination is the best means of preventing cervical cancer and other diseases caused by HPV infection, according to an editorial in the October special issue of the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, official journal of ASCCP.

28 Sep 2018

New research suggests power of zebrafish as tool for cancer drug discovery

The lab of Leonard Zon, MD, at Boston Children's Hospital has long been interested in making blood stem cells in quantity for therapeutic purposes.

24 Sep 2018

Anything goes! the shape of your vulva is unique and normal, say scientists

There are few women who have checked out their vulva using a hand-held mirror and liked what they saw. In the largest ever study conducted on vaginas and vulvas of women, researchers have said that there is nothing called a “normal vagina”. This study was published in the latest issue of the journal BJOG.

2 Jul 2018

Parents believe cancer prevention potential as best reason for adolescents to receive HPV vaccine

Parents of adolescents believed that the potential to prevent certain types of cancer is the best reason for their children to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, whereas other reasons health care providers often give were far less persuasive.

14 Jun 2018

Post-menopausal Conversations: Why You Should Talk to Your Clinician

Many post-menopausal women shy away from discussing their sexual health with their physician, often because they believe it is a natural part of life and they should suffer. Dr. Mickey Karram wants to change that, by encouraging women to talk to their physician about the treatments available to them.

16 May 2018

Newly expanded program at Rush offers relief from pelvic floor problems

Trouble with urine or bowel control, bladder pain, recurring urinary tract infections, constipation and other sexual function issues frequently can be traced to a dysfunctional pelvic floor -- the layer of muscles that support the bladder and bowel in men, and bladder, bowel and vagina in women.

6 Apr 2018

Health guide for young women regarding labiaplasty

A recent disturbing trend among young girls and women has sparked the need for issuance of a health guide. More and more young women are going under the knife to get “designer vaginas”.

13 Mar 2018

Researcher explores genitourinary health of sexually abused children

For years, scientists and clinicians have been documenting the significant psychological effects on child victims of sexual abuse, but what about the physical impact on their sexual health? Pascale Vézina-Gagnon, a Ph.D. student researcher at the Department of Psychology of Université de Montréal, has examined the issue as part of her doctoral thesis.

19 Dec 2017

Male virgins still at risk for acquiring HPV, study finds

Men who have never engaged in sexual intercourse are still at risk for acquiring HPV, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Infectious Diseases by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.

13 Dec 2017

Invasive cells deploy a trick to squeeze through barriers

Invasive cells deploy a trick to break through tissues and spread to other parts of the body, researchers report.

28 Nov 2017

New study finds huge disparities in survival for patients with HPV-related cancers

A new study found large disparities by sex, race, and age in survival for patients diagnosed with different cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

6 Nov 2017

Acupuncture may help alleviate vulvar pain in women

Acupuncture has been successfully used to treat such ailments as back and neck pain, osteoarthritis and headaches. Judith Schlaeger is working to discover whether it can help the up to 14 million American women who experience genital pain.

11 Oct 2017

Know your body and stay informed for prevention of gynecologic cancers

Gynecologic cancers affect any area of the female reproductive organs (uterus, cervix, ovaries, vulva). For 2017, the American Cancer Society estimates more than 100,000 new cases of gynecologic cancer and more than 31,000 deaths. Luckily these organs are either visible or can give early symptoms of pre-cancer and cancer.

15 Sep 2017

Newest vaccine highly effective at preventing nine types of HPV infection, study shows

Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with almost 300,000 deaths occurring each year. More than 80 percent of these deaths occur in developing nations.

7 Sep 2017