Polish vulvodynia community website. (C) 2008 vulvodynia.pl
Every year in Poland tens of thousands of women may be suffering from vulvo-vaginal, chronic pain. Research criteria for epidemic studies define vulvodynia as a pain of unknown etiology lasting at least for 3 months. Yet for some women vulvodynia takes years rather than months.
The histories of the illness are very alike for a lot of women: for prolonged period of time they are usually treated for bacterial and yeast vaginal infections with no success. They switch doctors, pills and diets, but the pain – described as burning or stinging – never goes away for long. This debilitating condition also has a profound psychological impact.
The pain alone may or may not be triggered by touch. It may remiss to return after some time as mysteriously as it first came. For some women it lasts for years. It ruins their lives, careers, social and sexual activities and provokes relationships problems.
Vulvodynia is considered to fall between the domains of gynecology, dermatology and neurology. The need for interdisciplinary approach makes the condition hard for specialists to comprehend. This fact combined with a traditional, conservative approach towards intimate issues in Poland results in a very limited medical recognition of vulvodynia. It is rarely diagnosed and acknowledged by all but the most well educated practitioners.
Some of the women who seek help decide to found associations and support groups. Only these formal bodies seem strong enough to influence the media, medical world and society. And this attention is crucial to bring real help for vulvodynia patients. The efforts were successfully started in November, 2008 by Polish women who participate in an online community of http://forum.vulvodynia.pl/
The initiators of this social action will be happy to supply more information. http://www.vulvodynia.pl/
