The Pathophysiology of Vulvar Pain

Abstract

Vulvar pain affects an area of the body that is hidden by taboo and fraught with misinformation. It is an area rich of secret and seducing pleasures but also a source of potential excruciating and invalidating pain (Graziottin and Gambini 2015). The vulvar organ, its erotic meaning, and the many symptoms that may affect it have been too long neglected by the medical establishment. Discussing vulvar symptoms may be perceived as very challenging both for patients and healthcare providers, as they seem to be “too intimate to be spoken of.”