Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4rdrl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-25T05:59:18.994Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 48 - Sexual Pain Disorders in the Female

from Section 3A - Sexual Dysfunction and Counselling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2024

By
Francesca Tripodi
Edited by
Johannes Bitzer  and
Tahir A. Mahmood
Johannes Bitzer
Affiliation:
University Women's Hospital, Basel
Tahir A. Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Get access

Summary

Considerable evidence indicates sexual pain (SP) is a common concern in women of reproductive age (12–60%) despite findings suggesting that around 40% of women between the ages of 20 and 40 did not seek help for their condition [1]. Most women who suffer from SP struggle to understand and cope with this distressing problem, which negatively affects their identity, sexuality and romantic relationships. Nearly all healthcare professionals have seen a woman or a couple that suffers from SP, whether they know it or not. Evidence also indicates that healthcare providers poorly understand and often misdiagnose SP [2]. The broad range of prevalence estimates and poor understanding stem from differences between the populations involved in a study design and the inconsistent use of definitions.

Type
Chapter
Information
Textbook of Contraception, Sexual and Reproductive Health , pp. 300 - 310
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Nimbi, FM, Rossi, V, Tripodi, F et al. Genital pain and sexual functioning: Effects on sexual experience, psychological health, and quality of life. J Sex Med. 2020;17:771–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergeron, S, Rosen, NO, Morin, M. Genital pain in women: Beyond interference with intercourse. Pain. 2011;152:1223–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, RW, Fugl-Meyer, KS, Corona, G et al. Definitions/epidemiology/risk factors for sexual dysfunction. J Sex Med. 2010;7 (4 Pt 2): 1598–1607. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01778.x. PMID: 20388160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Lankveld, JJ, Granot, M, Weijmar Schultz, WC et al. Women’s sexual pain disorders. J Sex Med. 2010;7(1 Pt 2): 615–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01631.x. PMID: 20092455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bornstein, J, Goldstein, AT, Stockdale, CK et al. 2015 ISSVD, ISSWSH, and IPPS consensus terminology and classification of persistent vulvar pain and vulvodynia. J Sex Med. 2016;13(4):607–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.02.167. Epub 2016 Mar 25. PMID: 27045260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergeron, S, Rosen, NO, Pukall, C, Corsini-Munt, S. Genital pain in women and men. In Hall, KSK, Binik, YM (eds.). Principle and practice of sex therapy. 6th edition. New York: Guildford Press, 2020, pp. 118–28.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5™). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2013.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. 11th revision. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2018.Google Scholar
Harlow, BL, Kunitz, CG, Nguyen, RH et al. Prevalence of symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of vulvodynia: Population-based estimates from 2 geographic regions. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2014;210:40.e1–40. e8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dewitte, M, Borg, C, Lowenstein, L. A psychosocial approach to female genital pain. Nat Rev Urol. 2018;15(1):25–41. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2017.187. Epub 2017 Nov 28. PMID: 29182603.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bornstein, J, Preti, M, Simon, JA et al. Descriptors of vulvodynia: A multisocietal definition consensus (International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease, the International Society for the Study of Women Sexual Health, and the International Pelvic Pain Society). J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2019;23(2):161–3. https://doi.org/10.1097/LGT.0000000000000461. PMID: 30768446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, DA, Taylor, CA. Dyspareunia in women. Am Fam Physician. 2021;103(10):597–604. PMID: 33983001.Google ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, KR, Geary, R, Graham, CA et al. Painful sex (dyspareunia) in women: Prevalence and associated factors in a British population probability survey. BJOG. 2017;124(11):1689–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.14518.Google Scholar
Reed, BD, Harlow, SD, Plegue, MA, Sen, A. Remission, relapse, and persistence of vulvodynia: A longitudinal population-based study. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2016;25(3):276–83. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2015.5397. Epub 2016 Jan 11. PMID: 26752153; PMCID: PMC4790209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fugl-Meyer, KS, Bohm-Starke, N, Damsted Petersen, C et al. Standard operating procedures for female genital sexual pain. J Sex Med. 2013;10:83–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldstein, AT, Pukall, CF, Brown, C et al. Vulvodynia: Assessment and treatment. J Sex Med. 2016;13(4):572–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.01.020. Epub 2016 Mar 25. PMID: 27045258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pacik, PT, Cole, JB. When sex seems impossible: Stories of vaginismus and how you can achieve intimacy. Odyne, 2010, pp. 40–7.Google Scholar
Pukall, CF, Goldstein, AT, Bergeron, S, et al. Vulvodynia: Definition, prevalence, impact, and pathophysiological factors. J Sex Med. 2016;13(3):291–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2015.12.021. PMID: 26944461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corsini-Munt, S, Bergeron, S, Rosen, NO et al. Perspective on childhood maltreatment for women with provoked vestibulodynia and their partners: Associations with pain and sexual and psychosocial functioning. J Sex Res. 2017;54(3):308–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1158229. Epub 2016 Apr 21. PMID: 27100406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosen, NO, Bergeron, S. Genito-pelvic pain through a dyadic lens: Moving toward an interpersonal emotion regulation model of women’s sexual dysfunction. J Sex Res. 2019;56(4–5):440–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1513987. Epub 2018 Sep 25. PMID: 30252510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergeron, S, Corsini-Munt, S, Aerts, L. et al. Female sexual pain disorders: A review of the literature on etiology and treatment. Curr Sex Health Rep. 2015(7):159–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-015-0053-y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosen, NO, Bergeron, S, Glowacka, M, Delisle, I, Baxter, ML. Harmful or helpful: Perceived solicitous and facilitative partner responses are differentially associated with pain and sexual satisfaction in women with provoked vestibulodynia. J Sex Med. 2012;9(9):2351–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02851.x. Epub 2012 Jul 19. PMID: 22812596.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosen, NO, Dawson, SJ, Brooks, M, Kellogg-Spadt, S. Treatment of vulvodynia: Pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. Drugs. 2019;79(5):483–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-019-01085-1. PMID: 30847806.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spoelstra, SK, Dijkstra, JR, Van Driel, MF, Weijmar Schultz, WC. Long-term results of an individualized, multifaceted, and multidisciplinary therapeutic approach to provoked vestibulodynia. J Sex Med. 2011;8(2):489–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01941.x. PMID: 20646179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vandyken, C, Hilton, S. Physical therapy in the treatment of central pain mechanisms for female sexual pain. Sex Med Rev. 2017;5(1):20–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2016.06.004. Epub 2016 Aug 3. PMID: 27498209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liu, M, Juravic, M, Mazza, G et al. Vaginal dilators: Issues and answers. Sex Med Rev. 2021;9:212e220.Google ScholarPubMed
Murina, F, Bianco, V, Radici, G et al. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to treat vestibulodynia: A randomized controlled trial. BJOG. 2008;115(9):1165–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01803.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morin, M, Carroll, MS, Bergeron, S. Systematic review of the effectiveness of physical therapy modalities in women with provoked vestibulodynia. Sex Med Rev. 2017;5(3):295–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2017.02.003. Epub 2017 Mar 28. PMID: 28363763.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corsini-Munt, S, Bergeron, S, Rosen, NO, Mayrand, MH, Delisle, I. Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel cognitive-behavioral couple therapy for provoked vestibulodynia: A pilot study. J Sex Med. 2014;11(10):2515–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsm.12646. Epub 2014 Jul 24. PMID: 25059263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brotto, LA, Yong, P, Smith, KB, Sadownik, LA. Impact of a multidisciplinary vulvodynia program on sexual functioning and dyspareunia. J Sex Med. 2015;12(1):238–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsm.12718. Epub 2014 Oct 30. PMID: 25354520.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Masheb, RM, Kerns, RD, Lozano, C, Minkin, MJ, Richman, S. A randomized clinical trial for women with vulvodynia: Cognitive-behavioral therapy vs. supportive psychotherapy. Pain. 2009;141(1–2):31–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2008.09.031. Epub 2008 Nov 20. PMID: 19022580; PMCID: PMC2728361.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergeron, S, Khalifé, S, Dupuis, M, McDuff, P. A randomized clinical trial comparing group cognitive-behavioral therapy and a topical steroid for women with dyspareunia. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2016;84(3):259–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sadownik, LA, Seal, BN, Brotto, LA. Provoked vestibulodynia: Women’s experience of participating in a multidisciplinary vulvodynia program. J Sex Med. 2012;9:1086–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bitzer, J, Kirana, PS. Female sexual dysfunctions. In Lew-Starowicz, M, Giraldi, A, Krüger, THC (eds.). Psychiatry and sexual medicine. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2021, pp. 109–34.Google Scholar
Landry, T, Bergeron, S, Dupuis, MJ, Desrochers, G. The treatment of provoked vestibulodynia: A critical review. Clin J Pain. 2008;24(2):155–71. https://doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0b013e31815aac4d. PMID: 18209522.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×