Vulvodynia News and Research

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Finding ways to relieve painful intercourse

Researchers at Flinders University are working to remedy this situation by identifying what triggers this chronic pain in the female reproductive tract.

4 Feb 2021

Northwestern Medicine physicians receive NAMS awards for contributing to women's health, menopause

Two Northwestern Medicine physicians will receive awards from The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) during its annual meeting in Chicago on September 25.

25 Sep 2019

Study discovers origin of neurofibromas that develop throughout the skin of NF1 patients

A study published today in PLOS ONE discovered the origin of severely disfiguring masses of cells, called neurofibromas, that gradually develop throughout the skin of patients afflicted with Neurofibromatosis 1.

22 May 2019

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

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

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

SLU scientist examines potential biomarkers for pain linked to debilitating health conditions

With new funding from The Mayday Fund, a Saint Louis University researcher will leverage her discovery of a pain pathway to determine if either of two key molecules can be used as biomarkers for pain associated with four debilitating health conditions: chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis and vulvodynia.

16 Feb 2017

Study determines effectiveness of gabapentin for treatment of vulvodynia in women

A chronic syndrome called vulvodynia that affects from four to seven percent of women is being studied by physicians at The Women's Health Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in hopes of alleviating sometimes excruciating pain.

21 Feb 2014

Hispanic women twice as likely as white women to be affected by vulvodynia

Hispanic women surveyed in the metro Detroit area were twice as likely as white women to be affected by vulvodynia, unexplained vulvar pain that can make sex, tampon use or even sitting excruciating. Meanwhile, the condition affected half as many black women, new University of Michigan research shows.

23 Jan 2014

Researchers suggest web-based tools to recruit study participants for clinical pain trials

Researchers are suggesting new ways to use existing Internet tools to recruit more study participants for clinical pain trials and to increase the likelihood they will remain throughout the study period.

15 Apr 2013

One in four women experience vulvar pain at some point in their lifetime

According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan, one in four women experience vulvar pain at some point in their lifetime. Like all medical concerns, vulvar pain causes both physical and mental stress. Additionally, vulvar pain can have an adverse effect on intimacy and relationships.

29 Aug 2012

Vulvodynia confers risk for other chronic pain syndromes

Women who experience vulvodynia are more likely than those without the pain syndrome to have fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, and irritable bowel syndrome, research suggests.

8 Aug 2012

Women with vulvodynia more likely to also have other chronic pain conditions

Millions of women suffer from unexplained vulvar pain so severe it can make intercourse, exercise and even sitting unbearable. New research now shows that women with this painful vaginal condition known as vulvodynia are two to three times more likely to also have one or more other chronic pain conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia (musculoskeletal pain) and interstitial cystitis (bladder pain).

2 Aug 2012

NIH-funded Harvard study: 6 million women in America suffer from vulvodynia

According to an NIH-funded Harvard study, an estimated six million women in America suffer from vulvodynia. Despite the astonishingly high number of those affected, the pain is often left misdiagnosed or untreated.

18 Jul 2012

JLGTD to publish results from Cutaneous Lysate study on vulvodynia

The results from Dr. Gilbert G. Donders' MD, PhD study testing Cutaneous Lysate in women suffering from vulvar pain has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease.

2 May 2012

AHRQ: Only 8.7M of 12.1M women suffering from chronic pain received treatment in 2008

An estimated 12.1 million women age 18 and older reported suffering from chronic pain in 2008 as a result of underlying medical conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, endometriosis, fibromyalgia and vulvodynia. Of these women, only 8.7 million reported receiving treatment that year at a total cost of $12.9 billion, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

21 Oct 2011

More than 25% of women experience chronic vulvar pain in the metro Detroit area

For more than 100,000 area women, chronic vulvar pain (pain at the opening to the vagina) is so severe it makes intercourse, and sometimes sitting for long periods of time, painful, if not impossible.

15 Sep 2011

Aurora Health Care establishes new clinic for treating chronic vulvar pain

It is a sensitive subject for many women. The issue is chronic vulvar pain, and it impacts one out of six women at some point in their lives. However, most women are unaware of their treatment options.

3 Mar 2010

Vulvodynia, the most frequent cause of painful sex

PAINFUL SEX. It's a secret that millions of women live with in embarrassment and isolation. Until now. . .

10 Aug 2009

Interstitial cystitis average cost in first year after diagnosis $3000 or more

Wu and colleagues studied data for patients under age 65 with at least one diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis (IC) from a de-identified administrative database of 2 million beneficiaries that included medical, drug and disability claims for 1999-2002.

11 Apr 2006