When tissues speak to us: from pain to pleasure

Abstract

Vulvodynia or vestibulodynia or vulvar vestibulitis are terms used to name vulvar pain lasting more than three months, in the absence of any specific or clinically identifiable disorder. It is in fact a diagnosis by exclusion: when all other clinically objectifiable diagnoses are ruled out, the diagnosis is vulvodynia. It is clinically described (irritating pain, in the form of burning, stinging, itching, pressure, stabbing pain...) and has neither an evidenced etiology, nor a standardised treatment, being multifactorial and diverse. Due to my profession I have the privilege of being able to manually palpate, touch and work with this tissue. In my lecture, I want to share how physical contact and listening to the tissue allows me to accompany women in understanding what it wants to tell us, often before the rational (and, unfortunately, medical) part can make sense of it. Persistent pain always speaks. In my experience, the challenge in dealing with pain in this essentially female area is, beyond the professional technical work, knowing how to listen and accompany, to find out what it is telling us, in order to truly understand and resolve it.