Of the many things that can go wrong with your business down south, vulvodynia is sounds like it's one of the most annoying: It's chronic pain around the opening of your vagina, and it has no medically identifiable cause. You just hurt. Just because.
A recent study reported that 8% of women surveyed were experiencing symptoms of vulvodynia; 25% had experienced symptoms at one time or another. The 'dynia can make sex, inserting a tampon, or even just sitting painful. But according to researchers, only half of the women who experienced symptoms actually sought out treatment. (Which may be why only 2% of the women surveyed had been formally diagnosed.)
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Why wouldn't you go to a doctor? Most likely, women — myself included — assume occasional pain or discomfort is just part and parcel of having a ladyflower planted in your pants. The vagina can be finicky, for god-only-knows how many reasons. But sometimes it's dry. Sometimes it itches. Sometimes it bakes loaves of bread. Whatever. We gotta just keep on keeping on.
So a question to you all, then: How bad does your vagina have to hurt (with no clear reason) in order to for you to go get professional help? I don't mean things are itchy or uncomfortable — I mean genuine pain around the opening down there. I'd guess most ladies have experienced a holy-fuck level of vaginal pain in some capacity, be it from sex or a bad bike seat. Or vulvodynia! Which you'd know about if you would just go see a doctor.
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Sufferers Of Vaginal Pain Rarely Seek Treatment [Live Science]
Image via Jose AS Reyes/Shutterstock.
