Airing Pain

This edition has been funded by a grant from the Women’s Fund For Scotland. Vulvodynia is a nerve-based pain, often described as a burning or stinging sensation, which affects the vulva. 1 in 7 seven women are estimated to experience Vulvodynia at some stage during their life and the condition can be very distressing to live with, impacting on everything from clothing choices to relationships. Dr Winston de Mello explains why many women with Vulvodynia experience difficulties on the path to diagnosis and why GPs under pressure create a “postcode lottery” for those in pain without any visible symptoms. Dr Rebekah Shallcross describes what she found in her research into women’s experiences of Vulvodynia, including sexist treatment by some healthcare professionals, a lack of awareness of the condition within the medical community and the stigma associated with genital pain. The role played by penetrative sex in social constructions of female identity can create feelings of guilt and shame in patients w