The vulva comprises the area around the opening of the vagina, including the opening itself, the clitoris, the vaginal lips or labia, and mons pubis, the pad of fatty tissue over the pubic bone. Vestibulitis means irritation or inflammation of the vestibule, meaning “entrance,” and vulvar vestibulitis involves the area that lies within the inner vaginal lips, encompassing the vaginal opening and the opening of the urethra. Women with vulvar vestibulitis have pain with even a light touch to the vestibule.
Pain
Unlike a closely related condition called vulvodynia--meaning painful vulva--in which vulvar pain is more or less constant, according to MayoClinic.com, women with vulvar vestibulitis experience pain only after the area is touched. However, even the lightest touch can elicit pain. The pain might be limited to a discrete area of the vestibule or occur in several distinct spots called foci. The area can merely be tender to the touch, or touching the area can set off pain that feels like heat, stinging, dryness or itchiness, or the area can feel raw, according to the Women's Therapy Center. In some cases, women with vulvar vestibulitis find that urination causes a stinging pain. Other women find that contact with clothing is painful, and that tight clothes are unbearable.
Dyspareunia
Literally translated as “difficult mating,” the medical term dyspareunia means pain during sexual intercourse. Dyspareunia is one hallmark symptom of vulvar vestibulitis, states "Primary Care for Women." Women with vulvar vestibulitis experience severe pain or burning when trying to have vaginal intercourse. For some women, vaginal intercourse becomes too painful to attempt. Many women also report severe pain when trying to insert a tampon. Dyspareunia can also complicate a pelvic exam by the patient’s obstetrician-gynecologist.
Sexual Problems
Women with vulvar vestibulitis often experience sexual problems as a side effect of their condition. "Primary Care for Women" explains that dyspareunia has both physical and psychological components, and for many women with vulvar vestibulitis, the fear of pain during intercourse can inhibit sexual arousal and vaginal lubrication, which worsens the problem. Some women begin to dread or avoid sex. Even after the cause of vulvar vestibulitis is identified and successfully treated, the psychological components--fear of pain and anxiety that inhibit arousal and vaginal lubrication--can linger and negatively affect physical intimacy.
Redness
Women with vulvar vestibulitis have erythema of the vestibule. Erythema is the medical term for redness of the skin caused by increased blood flow in the underlying capillaries. "Primary Care for Women" says that the redness can vary in degree in different women, and can occur in one spot or be diffuse.
References
- “Primary Care for Women”; Phyllis Leppert and Jeffrey Peipert; 2004
- ObGyn: Vulvodynia and Vulvar vestibulitis
- Mayo Clinic: Vulvodynia
- Women’s Therapy Center: Vulvar Vestibulitis
