What is the Vulvar Vestibule?

This is a subject that many women feel uncomfortable talking about - even with their doctor.

I have a history of allergies and always seem to have something weird going on in my body. When I first started having these sharp pains, I just dismissed it thinking they would go away on their own.

I finally went to the doctor thinking I had a urinary tract infection, but he diagnosed it as vulvar vestibulitis.

I had never heard of it before and wondered how I got something like that. He said in my case it was probably something to do with my allergies.

Medication did clear it up, but if I get pains like that again, I won't wait so long to have it checked out.

@Oceana - I have had my share of urinary tract infections, and many of the symptoms are very similar. I can't say this has been the cause of any of my urinary tract infections, but it could play a role in it.

The main cause for my vulvar vestibulitis is from my lupus, which is an auto immune disease. I really think all of this must be related in some way, because I never seemed to have any of these symptoms or problems before I got the lupus.

Whatever the cause, it is certainly not pleasant. Even though my pains don't usually last very long, they are really painful when they happen.

Has anyone ever experienced vulvar vestibulitis because of a urinary tract infection? I had both at once, and my doctor said they were related.

My bladder started cramping, and I would get the strong urge to urinate. It happened more than once an hour, so I knew something wasn't right.

Shortly after that, my vulva began to ache and itch. I had double the misery!

My doctor gave me antibiotics for the infection, and she told me to start drinking cranberry juice to prevent further flare-ups. She also gave me a cleansing bottle, so that I could wash off my vulva with water every time I urinated. This would keep the urine from further irritating my vulva while they healed.

I thought it was so strange that the two conditions went together. I never knew that my own urine could irritate my body so much!

I had vulvar vestibulitis for awhile, and it made me absolutely miserable. Riding a bike was out of the question because of the pain, and I could not even wear tight pants. Inserting a tampon hurt so much that I switched to pads.

Since specialists can be hard to get an appointment with quickly, I had to wait two weeks before seeing my busy gynecologist. She told me to quit using any sort of scented soap or detergent, and she also gave me a steroid cream.

She told me to only use the specified dose, because using too much could thin out my skin. That was enough to keep me from abusing it!

The cream seemed to help right away. The burning and itching stopped within seconds of applying it. It felt so great to finally have some relief!

@seag47 – Wow, I can imagine how bad that must have been! I probably would have rushed myself to the hospital, too!

The most irritation I have ever felt in my vulvar vestibule has been due to yeast infections. The vulva itch so much, inside and out, that I scratch them until I rub them raw, and then the burning sets in.

If I don't treat it right away, the area eventually starts to ache. I have felt sharp, shooting pains in my vulva before, just because I was too stubborn to go to a doctor.

Now, I always go as soon as I'm sure that's what I have. She gives me a pill that clears up the infection, and within a few days, everything is back to normal. This sure beats waiting it out!

I took some over-the-counter medication to treat a yeast infection, and I turned out to be allergic to it. The external parts swelled up so badly that it hurt to sit down.

Worried, I went to the emergency room. Embarrassed, I whispered to the admissions clerk that my vagina was swollen. She asked me if I had injured myself in some way!

After two hours of waiting and swelling up even further, I finally got to see a doctor. He took one look and knew I had experienced an allergic reaction. My vulvar vestibule was almost swollen shut, and my vulva were throbbing in pain.

All he told me was to take an antihistamine and put ice on the area! For this, I paid over $500, and that was after the insurance paid its part. At least I got some pain pills for my suffering.

The nurse gave me what looked like a diaper with an opening for ice. It had strings, and I placed the bulk of it on the swollen area and tied it around my legs. I had to wear it while I slept for the first couple of nights, and the cold really soothed the area.

@Kat919 - I'm glad that you were able to recover. It sounds like for a lot of women, they can suffer for years with no relief being forthcoming. I read about one woman who had had surgery and was chided for not following post-operative instructions, even though she had - she was blamed for her own unfortunate, totally not-her-fault condition. (She, too, finally found relief - she had actually had some of the inflamed tissue surgically removed.)

I remember there being an episode of Sex and the City where Charlotte had a problem "down there." She was diagnosed with vulvodynia, if I remember right, and prescribed antidepressants. She said, "But I'm not depressed."

The doctor said, "They're not for you, they're for your vagina." And Charlotte and the girls joked about her vagina being depressed. Which is not quite an accurate description, of course, but is a pretty funny way to think of it!

I was actually diagnosed with vestibulitis when I was in college. I suspect it's one of those things with as many causes as there are diagnosed cases. In my case, abstaining from sex and using vaginal dilators seemed to help. I was also prescribed a very low dose of an antidepressant for a while. The doc said that it wasn't really for my mood; I'm not sure if they know how/why antidepressants work.

Any kind of sexual problem or disfunction for women is so hard to diagnose because there's just so very little known about women's sexual response and desire. Women need to be really active in pursuing answers - both medical answers and, often, the kind you find in a therapist's office.