Why Won't You Get Help For Your Vagina?

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.)

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.