• Home
• |
• Expert guides
• |
• Talking to your doctor
• |
• DocSpots
• |
• Problems A-Z

Painful vulva

Genital herpes

Genital herpes results from infection with the herpes simplex virus. Small blisters form on the genital area and these burst to form small ulcers that take about 10 days to heal. If you have not had herpes before and this is your first episode, it can be quite severe. Your vulva may be very sore, especially when you pass urine, like very bad cystitis. The lymph glands in your groin will probably be swollen, and you may have flu-like symptoms (tiredness, aching muscles, fever), and feel very miserable and tearful. You may feel angry with your partner for giving you this infection, but it is unlikely that he knew he had it. And you should not feel bad about having it yourself research has shown that about half the population has been exposed to the virus, but usually it is passed on without causing any symptoms. You were just unlucky to have the pain and discomfort.

If you think that you have herpes, take a look at the section on herpes to find out what you should do.

Vulval pain syndrome

Vulval pain syndrome (sometimes called vulvodynia) is a very unpleasant burning or aching feeling. The sensation is unremitting and is often worse at night. It is more common around the menopause or in older women. It is diagnosed only when other causes of pain, such as a skin disease, have been ruled out. The vulva looks perfectly normal, but the pain is real. No-one knows what causes it.

• Try applying some ice – some women find this is the best way of relieving the pain.
• Aloe vera gel, Calendula and Dr Bach Rescue Cream are remedies for sore and painful skin. You can buy them from health food stores. Try each separately. You may also be able to soothe the area by applying vitamin E oil (which you can squeeze out from capsules of vitamin E).
• Aqueous cream is a plain, soothing, perfume-free cream that you can buy from pharmacies. Many women with vulvodynia find that aqueous cream helps by soothing and rehydrating the skin. Use it cold, by storing it in the fridge. Unlike steroid creams, you can use it as often and for as long as you like.
• Aveeno (oatmeal) baths are a useful treatment for severe attacks of pain. You can buy the sachets from health shops. Put a sachet in the bath and bathe for 20 minutes. Repeat up to four times.
• Talk to your family doctor, because tricyclic antidepressant medication often helps. This is not because you are depressed (or imagining the condition), but because these drugs suppress transmission in nerves of the skin. Another medication, gabapentin, is sometimes used (Lancet 2004;363:1058–60).
• Your local hospital may have a vulval clinic that your family doctor could refer you to. Vulval clinics are usually part of the hospital dermatology department, and doctors at these clinics are experts in painful vulvas.
• Other organizations that can offer further information and support are listed in the Useful contacts.

The good news is that many women with vulvodynia eventually become pain-free, and are able to stop their medication.

Vulval vestibulitis syndrome

With vulval vestibulitis syndrome, you experience severe pain when the opening of the vagina (the vestibule) is touched. The syndrome usually comes on quite suddenly, and is most common in women in their 20s or 30s. It is very distressing because, as well having to cope with the pain, your sex life is probably zero and it can even prevent you using tampons, wearing jeans or riding a bike. It may affect 1 in 20 women at some time (British Medical Journal 2004;328:1214–5).The cause of vulvar vestibulitis is not known, but some experts think the nerves of the genital skin become oversensitive.

What can be done about vulval vestibulitis syndrome? First, look at the dos and don’ts for vulval problems.

• Do not feel too discouraged, because the problem often improves with time.
• Teabags (Indian tea) or Earl Grey contain tannic acid, which is a local anaesthetic and can calm the burning sensation of vulval vestibulitis. Put teabags in the bath, or put a cold, damp teabag on the sore area at night.
• You may be able to soothe the area by applying vitamin E oil (which you can squeeze out from capsules of vitamin E).
• Aqueous cream is a plain, soothing, perfume-free cream that you can buy from pharmacies. Many women with vulval vestibulitis find that aqueous cream helps by soothing and rehydrating the skin. Use it cold, by storing it in the fridge. Unlike steroid creams, you can use it as often and for as long as you like.
• 5% lignocaine ointment contains a weak amount of the local anaesthetic lignocaine. It numbs the nerves in the skin and can be used safely on a regular basis. Although it does not cure the problem, it will allow you to have sexual intercourse comfortably if you apply it 15 minutes beforehand.
• You could try a diet that is low in oxalate, a plant chemical. The evidence that this works is scanty, but some women find it helpful. This means avoiding beetroot, chocolate, cola drinks, cranberries, nuts, rhubarb, soya foods, spinach, strawberries, tea and wheat bran.
• As with vulvodynia, tricyclic antidepressant medication for 3–6 months often helps. This is not because you are depressed (or imagining the condition), but because these drugs suppress transmission in nerves of the skin. So talk to your family doctor.
• As with vulvodynia, ask your family doctor if your local hospital has a vulval clinic that you could be referred to. Some clinics use a technique called electromyographic feedback from pelvic floor muscles, which is a method of training your nervous system to stop sending the pain signals.

Useful contacts for Painful vulva

Click to see all the contacts that you may find useful in relation to vaginal vulva problems | Painful vulva

Useful contacts

---

Tell us your thoughts

Did you find what you were looking for?

Tackled it, moved on Tackling it Still struggling

Submit

Add a comment

A problem shared is a problem halved: help others by sharing your frustrations or successes at tackling your health problem.

We have noticed that many of your queries are answered on the website, so please search for your problem before submitting a comment. As all comments are moderated, there will be a delay before your comment appears.

Display Name Age: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899 100+ Sex: Male Female Country: Select Country United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Comment:

Submit

Discussion content reflects the view of individual participants only. Health Press Limited bear no responsibility for accuracy of participant comments and will bear no legal liability for discussion results. Comments will be moderated before posting and Health Press Limited reserves the right to delete any material. See About our site for our moderation policy

Advertisements