vaginal pain

[Brennan]

Is there anyone out there that has vaginal pain? I have a history of vaginitis and yeast infections that made sex unbearable. I couldn't get a pap at my last exam due to my period but told the dr. that I'm pretty sure I have another infection which she prescribed medication. Well I woke up in the night with intense pelvic pain and bladder pain due to the medication. A week later I got my pap, there was no infection, but the pain during the exam was so intense I was crying. After being sent to a gynecologist and described my symptoms, which consisted of frequent urination with frequent urgency and some pelvic pain she dx me with IC and prescribed elmirion. Should I question her diagnosis? I've been reading all of your stories and I don't seem to have it that bad. It seems my vaginal pain is a lot worse than my bladder. Am I in the early stages? I've never had chronic UTI's, just vaginal infections. Your input would be great. Thanks

[elamar]

Sounds like you might have something known as pelvic floor disorder (PFD). It can cause your pelvic muscles to be tight which may be causing your vaginal pain. You might want to ask your doctor about it, you may need to add physical therapy to the Elmiron. Good luck to you.

[rachel_lovelee]

Hey, I know if you have had lots of infections in the bladder, urethra, or vagina, it can cause chronic inflamation or utheritis. Make sure you drink lots and lots of water a day to avoid infection and to keep your urine non-acidic. Helps with pain i find. Also PFD is when you feel like your bladder is falling out of your vagina, could happen after pregnancy. Doesn't sound like that to me.

[duchesstiger]

No, that is misinformation. Pelvic Floor Disorder is where your pelvic floor muscles are in constant spasm which can cause vaginal, clitoral, rectal pain and pain in perineum (area between you vagina and anus) and also pain into your thighs and lower back. You may have tender points for trigger points in a lot of the muscle groups in and around your pelvis. The pain can be burning, aching, stabbing, "sharp" or a combination of all of these. You may also have pain when you sit, exercise, have sex, have a pelvic exam, when you have a bowel movement or when you urinate.

PFD can cause bladder symptoms similar to IC. I thought I had IC and it turned out I had Pelvic Floor Disorder. PFD can occur after an accident, due to chronic pelvic infections (as in your case and also my case oddly enough...may be vaginal infections/yeast/or UTIs), pregnancy/childbirth and sometimes no trigger can be pin-pointed. As Rachel suggested you may feel as if your bladder is "falling out" but I believe that tends to be more if you have pelvic floor muscles that are too lax or loose or perhaps, due to a prolapse. Some people feel a heavy pressure in their vagina or rectum almost as if there is a foreign body in there...it is often referred to as a "golf ball in the rectum/vagina". You may only have one of these symptoms or all of them depending on what muscle groups are in spasm. It sometimes just affects the vagina...sometimes just the clitoris...sometimes the rectum or all of these areas.

You should consider being accessed by a physiotherapist who specializes in women who have pelvic floor muscles that are *over tight*. Do not just see any physiotherapist or one who asks you to do kegels which are a major no-no if you have PFD. A proper physiotherapist will do a pelvic exam (I know it doesnt sound appealing when it hurts down there) to look for overtight vaginal/rectal muscles as well as trigger points or tender points internally *and* externally (buttocks, abdomen, thighs etc.). Someone on this forum should be able to direct you to a list of qualified physiotherapists throughout the States.

If your bladder pain is secondary to your vaginal pain then I would not necessarily hitch my cart to the IC diagnosis especially without a cystoscopy/hydrodistension or any other tests to diagnose IC or to rule out any other conditions. I am actually symptom-free now from PFD although I do flare-up every now and then. I saw a physiotherapist for about a year and a half before I could finally stop going and just do exercises at home. Things that cause me to flare are yeast infections, UTIs and sometimes, I can't identify what has set it off....unfortunately these conditions can be unpredictable at times!! PFD often co-exists with IC but not always. PFD can also cause Pudendal Neuralgia due to the pressure of the muscles impinging on the Pudendal Nerve which innervates the external genitals, perineum, anal sphincter/urethral sphincter etc. Physiotherapy can help with this as well.

Good luck and if you need any more advice please feel free to PM me.

[monica78]

what are your symptoms of vaginitis?

[judy45]

I have PFD as many ICer do. I am currently doing PT for it and it has helped my pain level go way down. I also notice my bladder issues (pain and frequency) are a bit less since the PFD is being treated. You might want to get checked out for PFD and Vestibulitis and Vulvadynia, many of us have that too. Both these cause alot of pain during sex (which of course then flares your bladder) and after. I hear that as many as 70% of ICer have all three of these conditions. The good news is the PFD and the vest/vulv are pretty easy to treat and may even help your bladder like they did with me! Good luck

[angie1962]

do you go to a gyno to be diagnosed for PFD? I just had my cysto/hydrodistension and the uro said he doesn't think I have IC based on what he saw...maybe I have PFD

[leelee88]

Angie, my URO Dx me with PFD, I really think a second opinion would be best in your case..

[Want2BPainFree]

I'm sorry to say, but this doesn't sound like a thorough work up. Your dr. prescribed meds based on you "thinking" you have an infection? That doesn't make sense to me. And pap smears don't usually indicate infections. They are for detecting cervical cancer.

I really recommend that you go to a gynecologist or a urogynecologist. Lots of vaginal infections can cause bladder symptoms in some people.

For example, you should be tested for bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, herpes, trichomonas, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphillis. You should also probably be checked for HPV and HIV. In addition, ask the doctor to physically look at your vulva and vagina for signs of other skin conditions that can affect it like lichen planus. If your doctor has not checked you for these, and I don't just mean looking, I mean sending labs, then you have not been properly examined.

IC is a diagnosis of exclusion. I have vaginal pain with my IC. It is the vulvar vestibulitis type of vulvodynia, and it causes me great pain, inflammation, and redness esp. with sex. It also causes vulvar burning/raw feeling.

With that said, when I have a bacterial vaginosis infection, I have bladder symptoms of urgency/frequency, vaginal discharge, vulvar pain, burning, and redness. When I have a yeast infection, all the same symptoms come. When I have my period, all of these symptoms are worse.

A vulvodynia exam is going to consist of the doctor getting really up close and looking at your vulva and probing it with a qtip to check for pinpoint tenderness.

Your doctor should also check to see if you have pelvic prolapse or PFD. PFD could be causing your symptoms, or you could have IC/vaginitis causing the PFD. Either way, tense muscles in the pelvic floor don't do any good. And if anyone tells you right now to do Kegel exercises without a proper diagnosis, ignore them. If you have PFD, doing Kegels will make things much, much worse. If you have pelvic prolapse, however, they will help a bit.

If you are found to have PFD, in my opinion, I think it is a symptom, not a disease. The reason I think this is because it seems most of the women here develop PFD after a long stint with pelvic pain from other sources.

I do hope this hasn't been too confusing, but I don't feel from your post that your doctor is doing anything but guessing what is wrong and writing on a prescription pad.