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Hi Aunt Vadge,
Since about July, nearly every month my vulva hurts. It’s a really weird kind of pain – a sort of dull ache. I haven’t done anything about it. I told my mum and she said it might be to do with my period, but the pain always comes on different dates, and usually lasts a day or two. I’m quite worried. I did Google the symptoms but nothing seemed to match. I hoped you might be able to help. Thank you.
Aching
Spain
Hi there Aching,
Usually an aching vulva is related to your period, since the structures of your pelvis are all connected and share nerve pathways. If one part of your pelvis (spine included) is tense, inflamed or out of place, it can affect the others.
Many women get an aching vulva around their period. The uterus is connected to other structures, and the nerves all enter the spinal column at the same place, so the natural inflammation of your uterus during your period can cause nearby nerves and tissue to become inflamed too. That can create pains in strange places – lower back, down the legs, and in the vulva. It’s not dangerous, but it can be really uncomfortable.
Just because you don’t have your period when the pain comes doesn’t mean the same kind of thing isn’t happening, from a different cause. You may have a vertebra out of place, or something gently pressing on a nerve ending in your spine or pelvis, causing the sensation in your vulva.
Where I’d start
My first port of call would be to (a) visit a doctor to rule out anything more obvious, and then (b) see an osteopath to work out what might be pressing on what, and how to relieve it. It could be quite simple. Osteopaths are excellent, gentle and more holistic than chiropractors, so find a really experienced one and tell them all your symptoms – they may be able to offer more help than a doctor alone.
You might be given the label vulvodynia, but that’s simply a name for a painful vulva with no determined cause – it isn’t a condition in itself, just the name of a symptom, so you’ll still need to keep hunting for the cause. There’s no single ‘cure’, because for every woman the cause can be different. Have a read of the article before your appointment, so you’re not learning about it for the first time in the room.
Keep a diary
Keep a detailed diary of your symptoms – when it started, when the pain comes, how severe it is, what makes it better or worse, how long it lasts, what you ate, anything you did differently that day (sport?), any other symptoms, especially in your pelvic area and spine, plus birth control and masturbation. Keep your dates organised – a pattern will emerge, and spotting it is how you’ll find the solution.
Write any time, and let us know how you go.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
