Providing information to vulval pain sufferers and their partners

NEW - What is the vulva?

A basic guide to the different parts of the vulva, location and function. The page includes a labelled colour photo of the vulva (so may not be safe for work), plus a full text description of each of the structures indicated in the photo.

There's also a quick guide for health professionals to carrying out a vulval examination, and for patients, there's a link to our How to perform vulval self-examination page, which has a labelled black and white line diagram of the vulva.

The new page can be accessed from our main menu at What is the vulva? or by clicking on the green square above this text.

London Vulval Pain Support Group meeting, Saturday 12 August 2017, 11.00 am - 1.00 pm

The London Vulval Pain Support Group's next general meeting will be in the usual London location on Saturday 12 August 2017, 11.00 am - 1.00 pm. Further details about the support group and its meetings can be found on the LVPSG website, or you can email the group administrator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Participants needed for web-based study on female pelvic pain and self-esteem (London Metropolitan University, London, UK)

London Metropolitan University are looking for participants for a study regarding the impact of female pelvic pain on self-esteem. The aim of the work will be to find out how pelvic pain affects the self and how it relates to sexual distress.

To participate in the short online survey, you will need to suffer from a pelvic pain condition such as vulvodynia, vestibulodynia, interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, fibroids or other pelvic condition.

Full details of the study are available on our Current research page. 

Report from Your Pelvic Health Women's Coffee Morning held at Redruth, Cornwall on Saturday 10 June 2017

Dr Liz Venner, Associate Specialist in Dermatology at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has very kindly sent us a short report following the Your Pelvic Health Women's Coffee Morning which took place in Camborne in Cornwall on Saturday 10 June 2017. The article summarises the presentations given by Dr Lisa Haddon, Consultant Sexual Health Physician, Dr Anna Weiss, Consultant Anaesthetist/Pain Consultant, Ms Rachel Collett, Women's Health Physiotherapist and Dr Venner herself.

You can read the article on the VPS website.

Participants needed for web-based study on vulval pain and eating behaviours (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada)

The University of British Columbia are looking for participants for a web-based questionnaire study on vulval pain and eating behaviours. The main purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between eating behaviours and sexual functioning, particularly with respect to chronic genital pain.

Full details of the study are available on our Current research page.     

Cosmopolitan article on vestibulodynia

The VPS has been featured in women's magazine Cosmopolitan in an article on vestibulodynia. You can read the entire article on the Cosmopolitan website.

REMINDER: Vulval Pain Society Workshop Liverpool 2017, Saturday 10 June, 9.30 am - 3.30 pm

If you're interested in attending the next VPS workshop in Liverpool on Saturday 10 June, but have yet to book your place, we still have spaces, but please note that booking will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 6 June 2017.

Event information and booking details   

London Vulval Pain Support Group meeting, Saturday 3 June 2017, 11.00 am - 1.00 pm

The London Vulval Pain Support Group's next general meeting will be in the usual London location on Saturday 3 June 2017, 11.00 am - 1.00 pm. Further details about the support group and its meetings can be found on the LVPSG website, or you can email the group administrator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .