What Is Vulvodynia? - Dr. Goldstein (VIDEO)

Dr. Golstein introduces himself and describes vulvodynia, a condition characterized by chronic vulvar pain.

Dr. Goldstein:
Hi, I am Irwin Goldstein. I am Director, Sexual Medicine, Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, California.

Vulvodynia is pain in the region of the opening of the vagina. It’s horribly common. The concept of vulvodynia has received new press, which is very exciting.

There was a 20:20 piece on vulvodynia and the doctor who was interviewed, Dr. Andrew Goldstein and I wrote a text book called “Female Sexual Pain Disorders”, ostensibly it’s the first text book on women’s sexual health issues and I think that was the basis for the interview, but Andrew was receiving roughly 5000 phone calls from women suffering from this horrible condition of vulvodynia.

And then recently Dr. Oz did a huge interview of a woman who runs a self-help group called The National Vulvodynia Association, her name is Christin Veasley and she did a piece on the Oz Show and they had several patients there.

So in the last few months, this condition, which is otherwise a sexual pain disorder and disrupts life unbelievably, is getting national attention. Previously it has received limited attention.

About Dr. Irwin Goldstein, M.D.:
Dr. Irwin Goldstein is Director of San Diego Sexual Medicine at Alvarado Hospital, the Secretary of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, a former President of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and a Clinical Professor of Surgery at University of California at San Diego.

Dr. Goldstein has been involved with sexual dysfunction research since the late 1970s. His specialties include penile microvascular bypass surgery, surgery for dyspareunia, physiologic investigation of sexual function in men and women, and diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunction in men and women.

Visit Dr. Goldstein at San Diego Sexual Medicine at Alvarado Hospital