Half of women seeking care for vulvovaginal disorders consider giving up after poor treatment

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-05-09 01:00

International

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52.8% of women seeking care for vulvovaginal disorders say they have considered stopping care altogether because of poor experiences with healthcare professionals, according to an international survey of 447 patients. The participants were recruited from a centre specialising in disorders causing vulva/vaginal pain, and combining their responses, the researchers say 26.6% of the medical professionals they had seen in the past had belittled them and 20.5% did not believe them about their condition. 41.6% reported being told they needed to relax more and 20.6% were told to drink alcohol, 20.6% were referred to psychiatry without treatment. 39.4% of the participants said a healthcare professional had made them "feel crazy" when seeking care.

Media release

From: JAMA

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, a patient-centered measure of adverse experiences in vulvovaginal care was developed. Participants reported common past experiences with gaslighting (a patient’s concerns are dismissed without proper evaluation) and substantial distress; they frequently considered ceasing care. There is an urgent need for education supporting a biopsychosocial, trauma-informed approach to vulvovaginal pain and continued development of validated instruments to quantify patient experiences.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The Centers for Vulvovaginal Disorders, USA

Funder: Dr Krapf reported being a medical advisor for Evvy and Pelva Health. Dr Pukall reported being a consultant for Pelva Health, Initiator Pharma, SPM Therapeutics, Inc, and the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services. Dr Goldstein reported being a part-time employee of Daré Bioscience and an advisor to the National Vulvodynia Association; serving on the board of directors of the Gynecologic Cancers Research Foundation and as an advisor for Leo, Strat Pharma, Nuvig, and Celldex; and receiving research funding from Strat Pharma and Softwave outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

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