Articles and leaflets

  • Acupuncture by Maryann Child (VPS website) explains a bit more about this therapy and how it can help vulval pain.
  • Are we speaking the same language? by David Nunns (VPS website) reflects on, and discusses, patient and doctor attitudes to pain.
  • Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) by Winston de Mello and Ms Julie Cairnduff (VPS website) is an article giving information on painful bladder syndrome and interstitial cystitis. Reproduced here by kind permission of UK charity Bladder Health UK.
  • Living with vulvodynia is an NHS leaflet produced by King’s College Hospital which discusses the impact of vulvodynia on your daily life and outlines approaches to managing the pain and improving your quality of life, with a particular focus on psychology and the relationship between mind and body. The leaflet appears here by kind permission of IMPARTS (Integrating Mental & Physical healthcare: Research, Training and Services). Written by Drs Amy-Kate Hurrell and Jennifer Rundle, with special thanks to Dr Sarah Walsh and patients.
  • Metts JF. Vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis: challenges in diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician 1999 Mar 15; 59(6):1547-56.
  • Metts JF. Vulvodynia. Am Fam Physician 1999 Mar 15; 59(6):1561-2.
  • Marinoff SC and Turner ML. Vulvar vestibulitis syndrome. Dermatol Clin 1992 Apr; 10(2):435-44.
  • Vulval self-examination for women at increased risk of vulval cancer is a leaflet produced by the BSSVD in collaboration with the University of Manchester. Every year, over 1000 British women are diagnosed with vulval cancer. Some skin conditions causing inflammation may go on to become vulval cancer, but the risk of developing vulval cancer is low. Approximately 5% of women who have these skin conditions will be diagnosed with vulval cancer. This leaflet shows you how to perform a vulval self-examination to check for any abnormalities.
  • Vulvodynia (reprint from medical journal)
    by Dr Marilynne McKay

Websites

Books and journals

You may be able to borrow some of these publications from your local public or medical library:

  • Beat stress from within (package of cassettes and books)
    by David Brookes
  • Coping successfully with pain
    by Neville Shone
  • Coping with thrush
    by Caroline Clayton
  • Cystitis: how to combat attacks and prevent recurrence
    by Dr Caroline Shreeve
  • DIY Sex and Relationship Therapy: An Effective Self-Help Programme for Couples Wanting to Improve their Relationship
    by Lori Boul  (ISBN 1845284747)
  • Journey through Pudendal Neuralgia, by Margaret Stubbs, is the story of the author’s personal experience of pudendal neuralgia (a form of pelvic nerve pain), including details of treatments she has tried. Follow the title link above for further details about the book and how to obtain a copy.
  • Learning to control pain (cassette)
    David Bresler
  • Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
    by Mark Williams and Danny Pelman (ISBN 1609618955)
  • Mindfulness for Health: A Practical Guide to Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress and Restoring Wellbeing
    by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Pelman (ISBN 074995924X)
  • Painful Sex: A Guide to Causes, Treatment and Prevention, by Michele Goldsmith. It is currently out of print but may be available from your local library or sometimes be ordered second-hand from booksellers such as Amazon UK, Abebooks etc.
  • The stress and relaxation handbook: a practical guide to self-help techniques
    by Jane Madders
  • The V Book, written by Boston-based gynaecologist and member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth Gunther Stewart. The author describes it as ‘…a source book on vulvovaginal health and disease written especially for women. There are several chapters on vestibulitis, vulvodynia and interstitial cystitis, as well as a chapter on sexual functioning in the presence of pain.’ The V Book is currently available in the UK from Amazon or secondhand from other sites such as Abebooks or World of Books.