Welcome to the Vulval Pain Society, a UK registered charity supporting vulval pain sufferers.
Our aims are:
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To promote and protect the physical and mental health of sufferers of vulval pain through the provision of support, education and practical advice
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To advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to vulval pain
We offer advice and information on all vulval pain matters. You can read detailed information about vulvodynia, vestibulodynia (previously known as vulval vestibulitis), lichen sclerosus, and other vulval pain conditions. We also have information on sex and vulval pain, pregnancy and vulval pain, and other general good advice.
Smears without Tears: new revised smear guide now available for download!
We're very happy to announce that you can now download our brand new, fully revised leaflet version of Smears without Tears, our patient's guide to making a speculum exam more comfortable. The guide offers physical, practical and psychological tips for getting the best out of smear tests and other speculum examinations and minimising any possible discomfort or distress. It's aimed chiefly at women with vulval or vaginal pain, but we think the guide may be helpful for anyone who is uncomfortable with smear tests. Smears without Tears has been jointly developed by the Vulval Pain Society and the London Vulval Pain Support Group, from whose site the guide can also be downloaded.
Download Smears without Tears: A woman's guide to making a speculum examination more comfortable
VPS Webinar with David Nunns, 'Vulvodynia research update' - full video presentation now viewable online
You can now watch the full video recording of the very first VPS webinar held on 16 January 2013. In this webinar, Dr David Nunns of the VPS discussed contemporary vulvodynia research, including the use of enoxaparin injections and Melissa Farmer's groundbreaking 2011 study in which vulvodynia symptoms were reproduced in mice.
Share a link to the VPS using Facebook, Twitter, email or LinkedIn
If you've enjoyed anything on the VPS website, or found it interesting or useful, you can now share a link to many of the items here by clicking on our new social media share buttons, where these appear at the end of an item - there's an example of the buttons at the end of this item.
From left to right, the buttons are for Facebook, Twitter, email and Linkedin. Clicking on them will share a link to the article on your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page, or via email if you prefer.
Read more: Share a link to the VPS using Facebook, Twitter, email or LinkedIn
Volunteers needed for educational vulval films
The Gynaecology Department at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is looking for volunteers to take part in a series of short training films on the vulva. The films will be aimed at health professionals (doctors and nurses), but also at patients, and they will aim to cover a number of important clinical aspects of care, including vulval self-examination, use of vaginal dilators (trainers) and vulval desensitisation. Volunteers do not need to have vulval pain or a vulval condition to take part in the films.
Read more: Volunteers needed for educational vulval films
Personal experiences of vulvodynia
How do women deal with chronic vulval pain in real life? Journalist Sally Turner talked to women with vulvodynia and vestibulodynia to find out about their personal journeys with these conditions. You can read their real life stories on a new page on our website, Personal experiences.
VPS webinars - past presentation downloads now available
The VPS has put up a new page on this website, VPS Webinars, which we hope will provide everything you need to know about our free VPS Webinars. The page is still under construction, but amongst other things, it will allow you to download past webinar presentations. At present, you can download the slides from Dr Winston de Mello's presentation of 21 May 2013, 'Management of Vulval Pain', plus an audio recording (MP3) of the Q&A session. You can also now watch Prof Wendy Reid's presentation of 1 May 2013, 'Vulval Pain - Present knowledge' from a PC, laptop or notebook, watch the presentation from a smartphone or tablet or download the slides, plus we now have the cleaned up audio recording (MP3) of the presentation.
IMPORTANT! Please be aware that these presentations contain medical photos and images and may therefore not be 'safe for work'.