A month ago I got a stabbing, piercing, unbelievable pain in the left lip of the vaginal area. It lasted a second or so and went through a cycle that lasted about two minutes. Nothing else happened until last Saturday. It came and went for hours. I was frantic. It went away. Today, I woke up with a dull aching pain in the area. It seems swollen. I called my OB/GYN and made an appointment. After reading other's comments, I think I may have vulvodynia. I will get the primrose oil and ask for the Neurontin with 5% lidocaine gel. I had a hysterectomy 20 years ago and am 65 years old. I hope it goes away, as I am a teacher and it is like getting stabbed with a pencil through the eye (not by a student, hopefully). I shudder to think what the students think when my face contorts. Yuck. Good luck everyone out there. Keep checking the posts – there is help.

I suffered from this for over 18 years. The onset was sporadic and localized in the vulva area, but with a constant, nerve racking throbbing. I have questioned at least 4 or 5 doctors; their response was disbelief: seek psychiatric counseling: or a treatment for incontinence. The last response was from a doctor that couldn't admit he had no idea what was causing my misery: I didn't fill the prescription for my 'overactive' bladder. Seven years. ago I was prescribed pain medication for surgery and tried it when the horrible throbbing began weeks later. It worked and continues to put an abrupt end to an onset of this miserable issue. I hope and pray this will help someone.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned lichens sclerosis as a diagnosis for vaginal pain. My OB-GYN is the one who found it after I had visited many doctors. It looks like white/grey skin on the vulva, is painful, and itches like crazy. The only med known to help is Clobetasol cream and they want you use a vaginal hormone cream, which I do not do. The Clobetasol sometimes helps, but you can't use it too often, so I am in pain more of the time than not. I will try the primrose oil. Anything to take this pain away.

Since entering menopause 8 years ago, I have suffered excruciating pain with intercourse and some pain during bathing etc. in my vulvar area. No lubricants or vaginal hormones helped and I had resigned myself to just living with this and no longer having a sex life until I read about evening primrose oil. I was a skeptic, but started applying the oil from two tablets to my vulvar area each evening. Within a week my symptoms lessened and after a month I am once again, I am having sex pain free. I feel like I have gotten my life and marriage back.

I have been suffering from vulvodynia for more than 8 years and finally went and saw a gynecologist who specializes in vaginal problems such as vulvodynia. He prescribed Neurontin, in a cream form, along with a 5 percent Lidocaine gel. The pain continued to decrease and after a couple of months was gone.

This is how I feel but can't get diagnosed. For years I've been in extreme pain and unable to be with my husband intimately. I cry in pain. I've gone to at least 4 or 5 gynos. I have PCOS and endometriosis but they act as if there's nothing really wrong.

I read with interest the article from, no more pain. My wife has had this problem, pain, and our doctors have had no clue as to the cause or treatment if there was a treatment. One dr. said; don't wear panties telling a senior, 82 that wears pads 24/7, duh. Anyway, after reading the article I went to the store, bought the evening primrose oil, 1000 MG and it appears to work after 2 applications to ease the pain. Thanks for the article.