A woman with vulvodynia may have one or more concurrent conditions that can cause the patient distress. Identification of these conditions may be important when formulating a management strategy.
Conditions that may be found in a woman with vulvodynia include:
(1) fibromyalgia
(2) chronic fatigue syndrome
(3) interstitial cystitis
(4) dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles
(5) depression
where:
• Since mast cells have been implicated in interstitial cystitis and irritable bowel syndrome, it would be interesting to see (a) if IBD is more common in women with vulvodynia and (b) if mast cells may be implicated in vulvodynia.
If a woman presents with vulvodynia these conditions should be looked for and treated. The presence of multiple problems that are often chronic can make management challenging.
To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.
