Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Oct 26:5:2581.
doi: 10.12688/f1000research.9603.1. eCollection 2016.

Recent advances in understanding provoked vestibulodynia

Ahinoam Lev-Sagie  1 , Steven S Witkin  2
Affiliations
Review

Recent advances in understanding provoked vestibulodynia

Ahinoam Lev-Sagie et al. F1000Res. .

Abstract

Vulvodynia refers to pain in the vulva of at least 3 months' duration in the absence of a recognized underlying cause. Provoked, localized vestibulodynia is the term used to describe superficial pain confined to the vulvar vestibule, provoked by touch. This review will focus on provoked vestibulodynia with regard to its suggested causative factors and will discuss the role of inflammation, vulvovaginal infections, mucosal nerve fiber proliferation, hormonal associations, central pain mechanisms, pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, and genetic factors. Clinical observations, epidemiological studies, and data from basic research emphasize the heterogeneity of vulvar pain syndromes. There is a critical need to perform prospective, longitudinal studies that will allow better diagnostic criteria and subgrouping of patients that would lead to improvements in our understanding of provoked vestibulodynia and its treatment.

Keywords: Vulvodynia; pain mechanisms; vulvar pain syndromes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. No competing interests were disclosed. No competing interests were disclosed. No competing interests were disclosed.

References

    1. Bornstein J, Goldstein AT, Stockdale CK, et al. : 2015 ISSVD, ISSWSH and IPPS Consensus Terminology and Classification of Persistent Vulvar Pain and Vulvodynia. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;127(4):745–51. 10.1097/AOG.0000000000001359 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wesselmann U, Bonham A, Foster D: Vulvodynia: Current state of the biological science. Pain. 2014;155(9):1696–701. 10.1016/j.pain.2014.05.010 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Haefner HK, Collins ME, Davis GD, et al. : The vulvodynia guideline. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2005;9(1):40–51. 10.1097/00128360-200501000-00009 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stockdale CK, Lawson HW: 2013 Vulvodynia Guideline update. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2014;18(2):93–100. 10.1097/LGT.0000000000000021 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andrews JC: Vulvodynia interventions--systematic review and evidence grading. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2011;66(5):299–315. 10.1097/OGX.0b013e3182277fb7 - DOI - PubMed