If you have been suffering with vestibulodynia, or chronic vulvar pain at the entrance of the vagina, we feel for you. It’s a condition about which little was known until recently and we’ve seen patients who have spent years going from doctor to doctor, trying treatment after treatment and getting little to no relief. But the good news is that the field has been developing and specialists have started to understand so much more about this condition.
Over the years, one of the issues which has become clear is that there are different causes for vestibulodynia, and understanding the underlying causes can make all the difference in accurate treatment and successful outcomes. Physicians are finally understanding that the pain can be caused by too-tight muscles, hormone fluctuations and overactive nerves. If you mix these up, and treat for the wrong one, it’s unlikely you are going to be helped.
But even for those specialists who have gotten good at determining which type of vulvodynia a patient has, treatment options have been limited. Specifically, for those of you who have been diagnosed with “neuroproliferative vestibulodyina,” physicians were at a loss. Well, not exactly. What works for this type of vulvodynia in 95% of the cases, is surgery. A vestibulectomy, which cuts away the small part of skin with too many nerve endings, can be an overwhelming surgery. First of all, it can cost upward of $20,000 and is usually not covered by insurance. Even more disturbing is that the recovery is very difficult. It may involve weeks at home, many of them on your back. If possible, I think anyone would want to avoid this surgery.
Enter the Low Level Laser! The laser, which is unusually safe has started to be used overseas quite successfully to eliminate the need for surgery. It doesn’t hurt. The treatments are short, 10—15 minutes, and the only downside is that you need to come in for treatments twice a week, for 5- 8 weeks. But most of our patients agree that it is significantly preferable to surgery.
We’re incredibly excited about this treatment, and as far as we can tell, we’re the only ones in the US providing it. If you think you are a candidate for this treatment, we’ll give you a free consultation to make sure it is right for you. So what do you have to lose? Except pain in your vulva.