Anyone here with Vulvodynia?

Avatar for dogandcat99
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-28-2000
Anyone here with Vulvodynia?
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Sat, 06-23-2007 - 10:41am

I have SEVERE vulvodynia and vaginismus, which you might know it's very hard to have you know what!

Anyway, does anyone have it and have been able to get pregnant? I have a weird feeling I can't get pregnant but I haven't gone far enough to even know whether I can. Dh and I have discussed getting pregnant through A. insem. or through IVF so it won't be so traumatizing to me.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-11-2006
Sat, 06-23-2007 - 11:10am

Hello and welcome,


I'm so sorry to hear of your isses with fertility.

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Registered: 08-29-1999
Sat, 06-23-2007 - 4:54pm

Hi!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2005
Sun, 06-24-2007 - 8:53pm

I have vulvodynia and sought treatment for several years before TTC. I've been actively TTC for two years now and I was able to get pregnant twice, but one ended in m/c and the other ended as ectopic.

Do you have an RE? What treatment have you received for vaginismus?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Sun, 06-24-2007 - 10:23pm

Hi there. I was a former member of this board and I still lurk on occasion. I just wanted to say that I had severe vulvodynia for 3 years and was so discouraged and frustrated. I had all kinds of tests and treatment, but nothing worked. It got so bad I couldn't sit through class, I couldn't wear pants, and I was in agony all the time. Sex was out of the question. I just wanted you to know that I feel your pain and I understand completely. For me, I was lucky enough to discover that it was the depo provera that was causing the problem for me. I went off of it, and within about 6 months most of my pain went away. I know how lucky I am to have found a solution, but I remember well the pain and discouragement during that time.

As for IUI, it might work for you if you can handle having a pap smear, as it's very similar to that. I don't have experience with IVF so I can't give you much help there.

Just wanted to say welcome, good luck, and I hope you find a good solution soon!

Deborah

Avatar for dogandcat99
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-28-2000
Sun, 06-24-2007 - 11:54pm
Thanks for the comments. I am going to have a HUGE problem with getting pregnant no matter what I do. I cannot handle Pap Smears--they are EXCRUCIATINGLY painful. I know I was told that my uterus is tipped and that's part of the reason for my difficulties. With my vulvodynia, I have a difficult time with many uh, activities. Tight pants are very annoying, scented products hurt, and sometime sitting will hurt too. But tampons hurt and so does insertion, if you know what I mean!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Mon, 06-25-2007 - 1:15pm

I figured pap smears would be a no go, because that was the case for me too. If bd is painful, then a speculum stretching you out is much worse. It does sound like things are going to be difficult. I'm so sorry. As far as I know, IVF doesn't involve any insertion, but I'm not completely positive on that. I'm thinking there must be some other way to do something like IUI without doing it vaginally. I hope your doctor has some ideas that might work.

Hugs,

Deborah

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2006
Wed, 06-27-2007 - 8:06am

hi! im not a member of the board (allthough i should be! we have been ttc #3 for almost 4 years now).

~ Maggie ~

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-11-2006
Wed, 06-27-2007 - 12:59pm

Thank you Maggies,


I'm sorry to hear of your issues with TTC. Hoping you get that BFP soon.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2007
Wed, 06-27-2007 - 5:49pm
What are these things that you have? Does that mean sex is painful? If so my sister-n-law must have it. She has gone nine months w/o doing the deed with brother. I gotta say... he's a strong man. If that's what it is, can you take painkillers an hour before sex? Just curious!
Avatar for dogandcat99
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-28-2000
Sat, 06-30-2007 - 10:48pm

Vulvodynia means pain in the vulva. Vulvar Vestibulitis is a similar thing...it means pain/inflammation in the opening of the vagina. Vaginismus means that your vagina involuntarily spasms, or tightens up. I have both, and very severe forms of it. There are actually physical therapists, who, uh, "help" loosen you up. I had that, and it did help. Now what my problem seems is that I am so scared to do that "deed" as you call it.... every time I get close, I start crying and feeling so upset. I have no idea why. I can't recall ever being molested as a child, but I do remember a kid in grammar school, asking me some very sexual questions that totally grossed me out at the time. I've had dreams of every man I've dated, including dh, have raped me, when in real life that has never happened. I think that may be part of the reason why I can't.

Anyway, just to explain the pain...people say that childbirth is like squeezing a watermelon through a small hole. To me, a child coming out does not sound quite as excruciating as the opposite. It's like something is scraping your insides and it's on fire. It's like putting a watermelon into a hole as big as a pencil eraser. Tight pants burn too, some detergent hurts, and irritates that area, so does perfumed soap. So I wear baggie pants, use perfume free soap, and only wear cotton underwear that's not tight. Sometimes sitting in a chair will burn there too. AF can aggravate the heck out that area too!

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