Vulvodynia Patient Reviews
Treatment varies depending upon individual sexual and medical history, as well as the different manifestations of the problem a patient experiences. The stories below are real words from Maze patients, each of whom came to us with her own physical, medical, and emotional situation that contributed to her particular problem with sexual function.
VULVODYNIA (VULVAR VESTIBULIS)
Vulvodynia is a condition of chronic vulvar pain of at least 3 months duration. The vulvar region includes the pad of mons pubis — the fatty tissue at the base of your abdomen, the labia, the clitoris, and the vaginal opening. The location, consistency, and severity of the pain vary among sufferers. It is described by most patients as burning, stinging, irritation, or rawness.
PATIENT REVIEWS
Recovery from painful intercourse
My problem was very difficult to diagnose, and was given many different diagnoses. My midwife’s practice thought it was “difficult BV,” and then they said chronic yeast infections even though all the tests for yeast were negative. I suffered with pain and itching, gross discharge and uncomfortable episodes weekly, and sex, forget it, very painful. This went on and off for 4 years.
Finally I saw a GYN who told me I had vulvar vestibulitis, and started me on a regime of medicines and prescribed no sex for what seemed like forever. I followed her recommendations for months and I was not getting very much better and still no sex.
After years of pain and almost 6 months of no sex, something had to give. So she gave me the info for Maze Women’s Sexual Health, and I had my first appointment in August 2010. I couldn’t wait. I just wanted a cure.
Well, I think of myself as one who does not embarrass easily and is pretty open, but I must say the first appointment and the sexual history was a slight bit awkward, but the staff at the center make you feel so comfortable and that it is ok to talk about sex, that you loosen up almost instantly, or at least I did.
I looked forward to my appointments and to meet with people who really cared if I was getting well. Not to mention I was taking the time I needed to work on my issue and correct it.
By September, I was having sex with little to no pain, and over the next couple months I was on a regime that was working well and warded off the itching, discharge and the discomfort and the pain. It was amazing. I was so grateful.
The staff gave a working diagnosis of vulvodynia and specific treatment for it, and we tapered the treatment over time, and initially that didn’t work, so we had to resume the big guns. But by November the tapering could be done successfully, and I must say I finished with Maze in December 2010, and I am almost totally off my medications, with no relapse.
So in a matter of five months I was totally cured after 4 years of suffering and embarrassment and feelings of not being heard, and inadequacies.
I am so grateful to the staff at Maze Women’s Sexual Health for their time, and empathy and expertise. I highly recommend Maze if you are suffering with any sexual issues or medical problems in that “area” that aren’t resolving.
Don’t wait, there is no reason to!