V-Treatment News

back to main news page

Vulvodynia Workshop Highlights Prevalence of Disorder - National Institutes of Health

June 23rd, 2003 - Scientists Share Findings on Pain Research and New Therapies Many women have it, but few talk about it. Some will seek out doctor after doctor — typically, about five — before getting a diagnosis.

Vulvodynia is a condition characterized by burning, stinging, irritation, or rawness of the female genital area when there is no apparent infection or skin disease that could cause these symptoms. Vulvodynia includes vulvar vestibulitis (pain on contact in the vulvar vestibule) and vulvar dysesthesia (unprovoked, generalized vulvar pain).

An estimated 14 million American women may have vulvodynia at one point in their lives, although for many women the condition remains undiagnosed. Vulvodynia can have a profound impact on a woman's quality of life, hindering her ability to exercise, have sexual intercourse, and take part in social activities.

Recently, more than two hundred researchers, clinicians, and members of the public gathered at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take part in the workshop, "Vulvodynia — Toward Understanding a Pain Syndrome." Phyllis Leppert, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and Maria Turner, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute, chaired the workshop. Participants presented an overview of the science and incidence of vulvodynia, classified the varieties of vulvar pain, devised research approaches to studying the condition, and developed strategies for alleviating vulvar pain. The workshop was sponsored by the NICHD, along with the NIH's Office of Rare Diseases and Office of Research on Women's Health.

Bernard Harlow, Ph.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital's Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center in Boston, reported that in his study, 16 percent of more than 3,000 women who responded to a survey said they had experienced chronic, or long-term, burning, knifelike pain or pain on contact that lasted three months or longer. Nearly seven percent of the respondents were experiencing pain at the time of the survey.

Dr. Harlow and his coworkers also found that Hispanic women were 80 percent more likely to experience chronic vulvar pain than were white and African American women. The findings were published in the April issue of The Journal of the American Women's Medical Association. Other research highlights from the conference include:

Karl B. Thor, Ph.D., Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Duke University Medical Center, presented new findings suggesting that nerve damage caused by surgery to repair injury resulting from childbirth may result in vulvodynia. He described the anatomy of the newly discovered Human Levator Ani Nerve, and theorized that damage to this nerve may play a role in vulvodynia.

The NICHD is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the biomedical research arm of the federal government. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation.

back to main news page