Congratulations!!! I am a Board Certified General, Vascular & Cosmetic Surgeon with 40 years of experience and I feel so impressed that I am compelled to write a comment to congratulate you. This is one of the best social media videos I have ever seen. Concise, short but comprehensive and true to the facts. Easy to understand even for the untrained, your true audience. You get all my respect 🙏👍👏👏

Thank you for this I’ve learned more in these 7 mins than I ever have in my 3 years struggling with this and trying to do my own research because of useless GPs

I thought there was no cause for a lot of these. The nerves around my vaginal opening are super irritated and feel very sensitive and sting/burn with any touch. I don’t have any hormone imbalance. I’ve already tried pelvic floor therapy, sex therapy to see if it’s anxiety causing the pain, been on estradiol cream and testosterone cream, gabapentin gel, tried dilators... nothing is helping. I think the last resort for me is surgery to remove these nerves 😟 I still don’t quite understand what my diagnosis is though. The skin only hurts around my vaginal opening. It’s definitely not the muscles, it’s a skin thing, and I’ve been going to doctors for a year and no one has given me a for sure diagnosis. It is so frustrating that women’s health is not researched more!!

Thank you for laying these all out! This is my sole experience. I'd like to add that my PN and vulvodynia symptoms, vestibulodynia, and vaginismus have been all symptoms of another problem as you've mentioned in this video. I have worked with 16 doctors (vulvar specialists, spine doctors, sports medicine doctors, rheumatologists, hip specialists, gynecologists, urogynecologists, urologists), 7 pelvic floor PTs, 1 hip PT, and 3 cognitive therapists. Unfortunately, my gynecological issues manifested FIRST back when I was in my teens- I was not able to insert a tampon, which made it more confusing for everyone who has worked with me. At the age of 22, I was officially diagnosed with vaginismus even though I had external pain, and had to work hard to get passed the comments made by providers that my anatomy was normal and there was nothing wrong. Everyone thought that my vaginismus was psychological at that time. Even now, I have not been able to work internally yet during pelvic floor PT and I have not been able to tolerate vulvar q tip exam to inspect the vestibule let alone a pelvic exam. I was then diagnosed with vulvodynia/ PN symptoms a few years later and I continued pelvic floor PT, but it still did not provide any results. They told me we had to work internally in order for me to improve. During this time, I went to cognitive therapy with several different people where we worked on breathing techniques and relaxation for solely vaginismus, but I still had 10/10 pain in my vulvar area despite working on progressive desensitization and relaxation. Fast forward several years, I believe my hips were pulled in the dorsal lithotomy position during my botox for vaginismus treatment with aggressive dilation, and that action caused labral tears (I am now 27). Immediately after the procedure, I had pain in my lower abdomen, back, groin, hips and had chills and a fever. My vulvodynia also increased after my procedure for at least 11 months. A few months later, I first received an MRI diagnosis of "sacroiliitis" by my sacrum MRI with visualized pelvis. I had been told that my pain was in my head after receiving the SI joint diagnosis as nothing was seemingly wrong with the joint, or that my brain was remembering pain so I had to retrain my brain and nervous system/or that I had an overactive nervous system (true in a lot of cases) but I didn't believe that to be the case for my experience(s). Some providers even suggested risky procedures such as an abdominal catheter or a spinal implant for me. They couldn't believe I couldn't bear a vulvar q tip exam or be spread open. I also had groin pain, buttock pain, pubic bone pain, and hip pain/weakness/clicking constantly for awhile in the last year since my gynecological procedure, and could barely walk in my own apartment as my hips were not being considered during pelvic floor PT treatments. While I wouldn't have expected to improve in a months as these issues take time, I was getting progressively worse every time I went to pelvic floor PT. I also have had congenital neuroproliferative vestibulodynia speculations as well as hormonally-mediated vestibulodynia ones due to the fact that I had been on birth control in my early teens for four years for heavy periods and had low estradiol and testosterone. I spent quite a bit of time treating my hormonally-mediated vestibulodynia diagnosis for a few months while applying hormone creams, and nothing improved, and nobody ever considered that that the hips were at play. Many of my doctor's lacked the skillset for talking about the muscles, and told me that I needed to go to PT, but couldn't tell me what to do at PT. I was also given the self-correcting alignment (three unique alignments with three different providers over the last year) which did not help and actually worsened my condition and dilators never worked for me. I felt my hip pop-out several times in their sockets or it felt like they were being ripped apart. I had sharp pain, pins and needles all over my groin going down to my leg. I was simply crawling on the floor and I kept getting worse and worse with every PT visit. Some of my previous MRIs (lumbar, abdominal, left hip) even came out as false negatives so I decided on my own to get another opinion with a hip doctor. I'm so glad I did it. After more image testing, found that I have bilateral hip dysplasia (shallow hip sockets), hip impingement, labral tears, and SI joint inflammation consistent with sacroiliitis /"degeneration" through 4 MRIs, CT scan and X-ray. Along the way, I learned hip conditions need primarily strengthening (glute exercises, abs), but I went to pelvic floor PT for two years (several of my doctor's orders even without finding out the root cause of my problem) where I was only provided with stretches, lengthening exercises, laser therapy, heat, dry needling, massage, and manual therapy. Currently, within three sessions of solely hip PT, my vulvar symptoms have been REDUCED by 20% and I am up and walking well again with no limping and am able to do some light cardio. I am so happy with my progress. There are so many interconnecting muscles, nerves, and especially the obturator internus muscle can play a huge role in hip and pelvis connection and bears a lot of strain when the hip is unstable and/or weak. There are many questions for my case if the vulvar conditions are a separate issue on their own or combined with the hips. Is the SI joint inflammation being caused by the hips as well, and will further hip rehabilitation will fix some of my other issues so I can work internally in PT? For my specific issues, my next course of action is to fix the hips first and then resolve the pelvis. I will be having PAO surgery with labrum repair where they will also correct the impingement and reconstruct the hips. All I can hope is that my vulvodynia and pudendal neuralgia symptoms will improve once my hips are corrected or that I will be able to tolerate pelvic floor PT better. Vulvar pain can also manifest from other orthopedic causes - I would recommend anyone that is curious about this to read "Vulvar Pain Resulting from Orthopedic Causes" by Deborah Coady as well as "Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction and Structural processes in Vulvodynia" by Pamela Morrison in Dr.Irwin Goldstein's sexual health textbook. We would love to see more work being done to incorporate different body parts, nerves, muscles and their relation to vulvar pain!

I LITERALLY had a doctor tell me to drink wine!!!!! I thought I was the only one!!!

My boyfriend and I have been dating for over a year, but at the beginning of our relationship, when we tried having sex, it never worked. It was always super painful. After a few months, I visited a gynecologist and was diagnosed with Vaginismus. I started attending a Health Center for Women, and I started working with dilators. After 5 months, I got to the biggest size dilator and my boyfriend & I were able to attempt intercourse. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as before, in fact it was almost painless, but there was still some discomfort. I was then diagnosed with Vestibulodynia, and I’m currently at a another health center treating it with Pelvic Floor Therapy. I also have a therapist that I speak to every week regarding these issues. It’s been a really bumpy road. I was so happy because I thought my journey was done, but I feel like I’m back at Square 1😔 fighting through these conditions has increased my anxiety. It makes me feel insecure and sad. I cry almost all the time behind closed doors. My boyfriend and I subconsciously fight a lot more. I don’t like talking about sex or watching certain tv shows/listening to certain songs. I’m envious of other women with great sex lives, and even women who were once in my shoes that are able to achieve pain free sex now. All I want is to be able to make love with my partner like everyone talks about, and sometimes it feels like I’ll never get there. Sometimes I really do feel like giving up on my sexual recovery. It can be a lot. I’m tired of being in constant physical and emotional pain and I wish it would all end. I’m appreciative of my boyfriend, my mom, my dad, and some of my friends who know and are being supportive of me. I’m trying to keep going, but I’m just very emotionally drained. I just want all of my physical and emotional pain to go away, I don’t know if it will :(

Thank you for such great explanation!

Years of suffering finally got somethinng to rely on … thnk u soo mch for such information. Why cant all doctors be like you. My gynac always prescribed me with UTI medications. Nd it never worked . Nd now i see why it didnt work. Thnk u ❤️

My pain started with fragrance free tiny panty liners. Found after close examination the surfaces were all like sandpaper..very rough. Gals beware.

Extremely helpful thank you 😊

Hi . Iv had a burning & painful vulva for nearly 3 years. Iv tried estrogen & steriod creams & many more things but nothing is helping. I’m a 74 year old woman. This is causing me anxiety which I’m being treated for . I am miserable. X

I have a diagnosis of vaginismus and vulvodynia but I think that might be vestibulodynia(specifically it hurts around the entrance to my vagina and I am sometimes sore). I wish I had a doctor like kyou.

I had my first gynecology appointment today with a midwife. We did an exam with no insertion because I had told her about pain I've always had and a very deep fear of insertion. She examined me and we discovered that most everything is fine, but I experience excruciating pain when my hymen is touched. Also commented that my hymen is red and seems inflamed/swollen - it looks like it has for years, though. She recommended dilators and pelvic floor rehab, and though she said I'm probably too tender right now for the PFR, she still referred me. She said I have vaginismus and is referring me to the doctor for consultation, which will take a few months to get in. I'm concerned this is more than vaginismus though? And that the rehab and dilators will be impossible with the initial pain I get just by being touched.

Thank you, I'm actually a transgender man, and I definitely have vestibulodynia. After consulting a digram for clearer understanding, those places are where it hurts when touched, and I have taken objects up to a two inch diameter(just very slowly), so it's definitely not vaginismus lol. Any kind of touch or friction eventually causes it to flare up in irritation, almost feeling like rug burn. One might think my hormone therapy might have caused or affected it in some way, but i have always had these symptoms long before I even realized my identity. So i have no clue what treatment I can do other than surgery to remove the potentially over active nerves in the vestibule.

Thank you so much for this! I think I may have vestibulodynia. I just thought I had vaginismus but after years of dilating & months of physical therapy I have made virtually no progress. Every time I dilate it hurts so bad especially when it first touches the vestibule & inserts.

thank you so much for making this video!! I have been diagnosed with vaginismus and couldn't understand why I can sometimes tolerate physical therapy and sometimes it's impossible! I am going to discuss this with my Gynea and see if they can give me somwthing to help with the nerve pain

I have had so many health issues but this is by far the worst. I also just lost my job after I found a doc who I wanted to try out since all other doctors have dismissed me. I have been suicidal, I cry all the time, I hate that I wake up in pain and go to bed in pain...I am so tired of this. I am in Dallas TX and I feel like I want to give up...I have even gone to church praying for a miracle because doctors have dismisses me over and over yet they can see...I think mine is combined with lichen simplex since I was diagnosed with lichen simplex but my doctor kept saying I should just be experiencing itching not pain or pelvic tension...I am so upset with him because now I don't have insurance so I honestly feel like giving up because I am so tired of living in pain and can't enjoy sex.

Can a 6yr old kid experience a tingling/shooting sensation often in her clitoris? We have been struggling to figure out what’s going on with her for 3 weeks now. It happens for 2-3 hrs everyday and today it lasted the longest from 7:30am to 1:30pm. Her doc says it could be a muscle spasm due to a physical activity but i dont agree with that diagnosis. It looks to me like its nerve related.

Now I’m suffering from IC but recently I got treated from vaginismus. Thankfully I don’t have any pain in my muscles anymore but IC is not letting me to live with usual life. I have been prescribed to take a Amitriptyline and after 2 weeks of taking it again IC symptoms started again. I usually have symptoms of IC 1/2 weeks before my periods. Can you please help me with what to do next?

My vestibulodynia started during pregnancy. I’ve had biofeedback and have no issue with my muscles. Haven’t received any helpful treatments yet and almost 3 years in.

Thank you for this video. I have chronic pelvic and perineal pain with constant levator spasms, instability of pelvic floor, IC and adenomyosis. I was not able to tolerate pelvic floor physical therapy due to allodynia (whole body) and hyperalgesia (whole body). My biofeedback was a 7 at resting and off the chart with even gentle touch. I am in constant severe pain and have been for over 5 years. What would you suggest I do? My urogynecologist has done trigger point injections for the vaginal and rectal muscles and many bladder anesthesia instillations for my IC as well as a cystoscopy and laparoscopy. I have not had any pain relief. My only diagnosis from this doctor is adenomyosis, IC, levator spasm constant, and pelvic floor dysfunction. Pain worsens when I urinate, stand, walk (can't I'm in a wheelchair due to pain and muscle atrophy) I can't climb stairs, bend, squat, or do much of anything physical. I had to have home care nurses care for me. This pain is a relentless, constant, burning, any movement increases it, and only when using an ice pack in the folds of my vagina to numb it do I get any sort of relief. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this. Unfortunately I live in a country where the Gyns seem to have no interaction with this and I dont know what to do. :/ noone’s been helpful so Im still not sur which of the 3 I have. But im happy at least women out there have access to this type if help. Sigh. I miss having pain free sex.

Hi, is vaginismus a life long condition?

Can stomach tb cause fistula to form and cause vaginismus?

Is vestibulodynia related with pcos?

My pain happened from fragrance from soaps I'm assuming

How does a partner encourage someone with these conditions to get past the fear? I’m in a twenty year sexless marriage due to my wife’s vaginismus, but she cannot face the issue. Will not engage in therapy or physical therapy. Will not attempt to use dialators. Becomes (verbally) violent and cruel when I try to discuss it. Cannot engage in any form of sexual touch, because her fear causes her to seize up completely. I love my wife, but cannot go on indefinitely without intimate touch. How does a partner encourage engagement and help combat the very real fear of pain?