Vulvodynia vs. HSV2

[HaleyCue]

Just recently was told by my doctor that I most likely have vulvodynia. I was diagnosed with HSV2 in Dec. 2020 I started taking Valtrex right away and a few weeks later I was fine symptom free. I started suppressive therapy to lower chances of transmission and everything was good until the end of May 2021. This is when everything started .. I started to have a constant burning feeling, tingling, prickly, raw irritated feeling on my outer vulva area near my vagina opening but have not seen any sores or lesions. I have seen 3 gynos who all have told me this isn’t related to hsv and tested me for all other STDs which all came back negative. They changed my antivirals and I’m currently now on famciclovir but the symptoms persist. I just saw another doctor a regular family doctor who I told my history to but she did not check me bc I was on my period … she asked me if I had ever heard of vulvodynia and said I probably have this. She prescribed amitriptyline and triamcinolone acitonide .
Other things I’ve been experiencing (anal discomfort itching and burning. Had strep throat and was given antibiotics for 5 days and weirdly for a few days my vaginal discomfort started to feel better.) symptoms returned after I was done with antibiotics.

Now here I am with so many questions and emotions … this is all breaking me as a human and I feel so low.

How do I differentiate between prodome hsv symptoms or OBs and vulvodynia ?
Has anyone tried those meds for vulvodynia ?
What was your experience ?

Idk how to handle this .. I have a partner and we wanna try and start a family soon and now all of this happened n I feel my life is really over. I feel so broken and like my body is against me. As if Being diagnosed with HSV2 wasn’t enough now I have constant pain n discomfort all over. Sorry for he rant … just had to vent !

Thanks in advance for advice or sharing your personal experiences .

[auntiejessi]

I'm so sorry this is happening. I know that sometimes it's just so overwhelming.

It's possible that this is because of the antivirals. Some people report symptoms like this while on them. Has your partner tested for hsv2? Is he your source?

Have you tested for yeast, bacterial vaginosis and other STDs? Yeast and BV are very common secondary infections with a new herpes infection, and they can cause symptoms like what you have.

Now, that all said, it's possible that this is vulvodynia. Sometimes, that's triggered by a new hsv2 infection. They are giving you some really powerful meds, though, so I'd want to be sure. Since your symptoms improved on your strep antibiotics, I'd make sure it's not BV or something requiring antibiotics before taking the other meds, and I'd see a vulvodynia specialist first.

So prodrome symptoms last a day or two, tops. If you don't get an OB after that, it's not prodrome.

An OB is when you get blisters or sores. It lasts a week or two, and then heals.

Vulvodynia is chronic, usually unexplained pain, in and around the vulva.

Did anything else start in May? Did you start using a new laundry detergent? New body wash? New tampons? Think about every single thing that touches your vulva, and think about if it's scented, dyed, harsh, etc. Think really basic - I went through a period where my vulva itched liked crazy for months. I had testing done, and they found nothing. After awhile, I figured out that it was gray leggings that I was wearing. I was working from home like so many others, and found these awesomely soft leggings, bought 5 pairs, all in this pretty gray color. I didn't figure it out until I bought 5 more pairs in black and things finally started calming down.

So it might be a simple answer - it might not be. But make sure you've been tested for other things, think about the antivirals, anything that might have changed in May, and before you start those meds, make sure you are seeing a vulvodynia specialist. There are other things to try first.