Vulvodynia: What helps urinary problems?

Posted by patriarl @patriarl, Jun 24 11:17am

I am interested in sharing experiences with vulvodynia and its impact on urinary problems including bladder pressure and burning before after urinating. Have tried physical therapy and vaginal medications with limited success.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Women's Health Support Group.

emo | @emo | Jun 24 11:41am

Hi there- I have vulvadynia, and I also experience bladder pressure, but not the burning before urinating. I do struggle at times with difficulty completely voiding. However, the bladder pressure and difficulty with emptying, we’ve concluded isn’t directly related to the vulvadynia.

I have pelvic floor tension myalgia (aka an overly tight pelvic floor), possibly in response to the vulvadynia and hypermobility spectrum disorder. And I have a scar similar to what people have with a c-section scar (though from a different surgery) and those appear to contribute to the pressure and sensitivity-type pain.

Have you and your care team ruled out other potential conditions that might be causing the pain that might not be directly related to the vulvadynia?

I’ve thought about trigger point injections, but I’d really rather try Botox, except my insurance doesn’t cover it =(.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 24 4:17pm

Welcome, @patriarl. In addition to the helpful response from @emo, I'm tagging other members like @francesmharris123 @willows @gjkmck @emmabell @nanny23, who have experience with vulvodynia. You may be interested in this related discussion:
- vulvodynia https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/vulvodynia/

Often, people with vulvodynia are also diagnosed with other common pain syndromes. Patria, has your doctor looked into painful bladder syndrome with you?