Even before the season premiere of Sex and the City aired, thousands of women who saw the preview on Oprah were criticizing the show for its inaccurate portrayal. Women with vulvodynia experience vulvar pain resulting in painful sexual intercourse, or an altogether inability to engage in sexual relations.
Many women lose the ability to exercise or to sit for long periods of time and in the worst cases, vulvodynia patients are bedridden with chronic unrelenting pain. The truth is the causes of vulvodynia are still unclear and although there are treatments that can provide some pain relief, there is no known cure. Because vulvodynia symptoms are similar to those of common vaginitis, the average gynecologist often diagnoses it incorrectly, and when the condition does not resolve, may even dismiss the problem as psychological.
Women typically visit as many as seven doctors before obtaining an accurate diagnosis. This reaction is all too common among the general public and even the medical community. Although few people are aware of the condition, its strong existence is demanding attention. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded over five million dollars in federal research funding to vulvodynia research studies for the first time in history.
And although inaccurate, the portrayal of the condition on one of the most popular television shows has, in the very least, brought it to the masses. Today, more than 4, patients and health care practitioners throughout the world belong to the organization.
The NVA disseminates newsletters written by medical experts, provides support services and physician referrals, and encourages research on the disorder. Its medical advisory board is comprised of clinicians and scientists from diverse medical specialties, including gynecology, dermatology, pain management and physical therapy.
