Sexual difficulties within a group of patients with vulvodynia

Dyspareunia, caused by vulvodynia, has, like other sexual problems, evolved from being conceptualized as a psychological problem through a period when it became viewed by the medical world as a physical problem. It is now seen as being a combination of psychological and physical factors. However, no research to our knowledge has explored in depth the level of sexual and relationship difficulties of this population. This investigation involved 172 women (85 suffering with vulvodynia and 87 women in a control group with general dermatology conditions) to establish the prevalence of relationship and sexual difficulties, using validated questionnaires, a newly devised symptom checklist and a structured interview. The results demonstrated increased levels of sexual and relationship difficulties within the vulvodynia group that need further exploration.