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Latest News from the ISSM - November 1, 2013 Member Login
Provoked Vestibulodynia Pain Subsides in Time, Other Problems Persist

Canadian researchers have found that pain from provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) seems to decrease in time, but psychosocial issues often remain.

Their study, published online in September in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, examined women's experiences with PVD over a two year period.

PVD causes pain and burning sensations in a woman's vulvar vestibule. Inflammation and pelvic floor muscle dysfunction are possible causes.

The researchers recruited 354 women with PVD to participate in the study. Over half of the women had tried some form of PVD treatment, including physical therapy, sex therapy/psychotherapy, medical management, surgery, and acupuncture. Some had tried combined treatments. About 41% had had no treatment.

The women completed questionnaires about their experiences with PVD.  Two years later, 239 of the women answered the same questionnaires as a follow up.

In those two years, pain had decreased for most of the women. But other factors did not improve. For example, many women were still categorized as having sexual dysfunction.

“It is tempting to assume that when the pain is reduced, there will be a commensurate improvement in psychosexual variables, but this was often not the case,” the authors wrote.

Please click here to learn more about this study.

2014 Membership Renewal

As 2014 approaches, we would like to again thank you for your continued support and loyalty to the International Society for Sexual Medicine. It is you, the membership community, who drives and shapes the ISSM.

In order to ensure that you will have uninterrupted access to all of ISSM's membership benefits, including the Journal of Sexual Medicine, we kindly ask you to pay your ISSM membership dues for 2014 in a timely manner either through one of our affiliated societies or directly with us through this link. Of course, if you have already paid your membership dues, we thank you.

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