What causes vulvar dryness and pain?

Pain in a woman's vulva is not a good thing. Generally speaking, occasional vulva pain may be caused by impact to the vulva or friction from underwear. At this time, the problem can be solved by simply resting for a while or changing underwear. Of course, if the pain is caused by external factors such as disease, it needs to be treated promptly. So, why do women often feel dry and painful vulva?

1. Candida infection: A history of vulvovaginal candidiasis is the only most constant feature of patients with vestibulitis, but inappropriate and repeated use of topical antifungal drugs can also cause these symptoms. In addition, the Candida colonization rate in patients with vestibulitis was not higher than that in the control group. The etiology of circumferential vulvitis is unknown, but Candida albicans may be a potential cause, and anti-Candida treatment is usually effective.

2. Iatrogenic factors: Patients with vulvar pain often have a history of multiple use of topical medications. Because the protective barrier function of the stratum corneum of the vulvar skin is not as good as that of the skin in other parts of the body, vulvar irritation caused by topical medications is more common. Irritation is unlikely to be the cause of the initial symptoms, but it may prolong symptoms of vulvar pain. The incidence of allergic sensitization is not increased in this lesion, and there is no histological evidence to confirm or exclude the occurrence of allergic contact dermatitis.

3. Human papillomavirus infection: It is currently believed that the correlation between vulvar pain and human papillomavirus is a coincidence because its infection rate is not significantly higher than that of the control group, and human papillomavirus is not a neurotropic virus.

4. Genetic predisposition: Vulvar pain is more common in whites, blacks, and Asians but is rare. It is still unclear whether this is a true genetic predisposition or the influence of socio-demographic factors.

5. Psychological and sexual psychological factors: Patients with vulvar pain have obvious psychological and sexual psychological morbidities, but whether they can cause symptoms is still controversial. Lack of sexual arousal during intercourse can cause decreased lubrication and lead to vulvovaginal irritation, while cyclical vulvar irritation symptoms can produce vulvar pain. However, several studies have not shown that the incidence of unpleasant sexual experiences or promiscuity in patients is higher than that in the control group, and their sexual partners do not have obvious sexual psychological disorders.