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Vulvodynia is chronic vulvar pain lasting three months or longer with no clear identifiable cause. Women with vulvodynia often describe burning, stinging, rawness, or soreness that can be constant or triggered by touch, pressure, or friction.
The pain can make sex agonizing, sitting uncomfortable, and everyday activities like wearing certain clothing unbearable.
If you have been tested for infections and nothing was found, if you have tried creams and medications without lasting relief, if you have been told there is nothing wrong, vulvodynia may be the answer. And pelvic floor therapy is a recommended first-line approach with growing evidence of benefit.
Vulvodynia is a chronic vulvar pain condition with neuromuscular, neurological, and hormonal components. The nerves in the vulvar region have become sensitized, meaning they send pain signals in response to stimuli that should not be painful.
Contributing factors can include pelvic floor muscle tension (which compresses and irritates nerves), a history of repeated infections or irritation, hormonal changes, genetic predisposition to nerve sensitivity, and central sensitization (the brain amplifying pain signals).
Understanding what is driving your pain is important because it points directly to the solution: calming the nervous system and releasing the pelvic floor muscles.
Yes. Pelvic floor therapy is one of the most evidence-supported approaches for vulvodynia. One review found up to 80 percent of women improved significantly with it. At Hope For Your Pelvis, I address both the nerve sensitivity and the muscle tension that fuel vulvodynia.
Sessions focus on:
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You do not need to keep managing this alone. You do not need another provider who cannot find anything wrong. And you do not need to accept that this is just how your body is.
Vulvodynia usually feels like burning, stinging, rawness, or soreness at the vulva, the area outside the vaginal opening. For some women it is constant; for others it only happens with touch, pressure, or friction, like sex, tampons, tight clothing, or sitting for a long time. The pain is real even when everything looks normal and tests come back clear.
No, but they are easy to confuse, and that confusion is common. A yeast infection is caused by an overgrowth of Candida and usually clears with antifungal treatment. Vulvodynia is chronic vulvar pain with no infection present. Many women with vulvodynia spend months treating yeast infections that were never there, or that keep coming back. If antifungals have not worked, or the pain outlasts the infection, it is worth asking whether vulvodynia is the real cause. Repeated yeast infections can also be a trigger for it.
Yes. Pelvic floor therapy is one of the most evidence-supported approaches for vulvodynia, and it does not involve medication. It works by calming the sensitized nerves and releasing the pelvic floor muscle tension that amplify the pain. Some women use it alongside medical treatment, and some use it on its own. Because vulvodynia varies so much person to person, the right combination depends on what is driving your pain.
Yes. Many women improve significantly with the right care, less pain, more comfort, and a return to intimacy and activities they had been avoiding. Some become pain-free. There is no single cure, and the picture varies person to person, which is why the plan has to be built around your specific pain rather than a generic protocol.
Vulvodynia is typically diagnosed when vulvar pain has lasted 3+ months and other causes (infections, skin conditions, etc.) have been ruled out. A cotton swab test at the vestibule is a common diagnostic tool.
I specialize exclusively in pelvic floor dysfunction and sexual pain. Every session is 1:1, virtual, and built around your specific symptoms and goals, not a generic protocol.
No. I do not accept or bill insurance. This allows me to give you my full, undivided attention in every session, no visit limits, no rushed appointments, and no outside entity shaping your care.
Painful sex is more common than many realize. Learn the causes, treatment options, and how pelvic floor therapy can help restore comfort and function.
A pelvic floor therapist explains the real reasons sex can be painful and what your body may be trying to tell you.
