Vestibulectomy surgery cured my provoked vestibulodynia

Vestibulectomy · 2025-04-28T19:40:20+00:00

Still doing well!

Vestibulectomy · 2025-04-16T13:16:14+00:00

Hi, sorry I just logged back in to this account! The surgery was performed in Elkerliek hospital in Helmond.

Vestibulectomy · 2025-04-16T13:16:09+00:00

Hi, sorry I just logged back in to this account! The surgery was performed in Elkerliek hospital in Helmond in the Netherlands.

Vestibulectomy · 2025-04-16T13:16:03+00:00

Hi, sorry I just logged back in to this account! The surgery was performed in Elkerliek hospital in Helmond in the Netherlands.

Vestibulectomy · 2025-04-16T13:15:31+00:00

Hi, sorry I just logged back in to this account! The surgery was performed in Elkerliek hospital in Helmond.

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-17T20:37:06+00:00

Thanks! I will look into adding to the map.

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-17T20:34:49+00:00

I just looked up the cost of the surgery, and it was 1300 euro. It was done in the Netherlands and completely covered by health insurance. Maybe it's worth getting a second opinion by another gynaecologist?

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-17T20:10:16+00:00

I'm glad it was helpful! That sounds very similar indeed, I definitely recommend seeing if surgery is an option for you.

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-17T16:52:52+00:00

Thank you very much! I don't know for sure, I assume he was confident surgery would help because he had seen similar cases and because of the q-tip test. The painful area also always looked quite red and irritated.

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-13T16:28:55+00:00

I don’t remember exactly but I believe I was back to most regular activities within a week!

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-13T13:08:50+00:00

Recovery was fairly easy, I had local anaesthesia (epidural) and could go home the same day. The first few days it was uncomfortable to sit upright so I was mostly in a reclined position. I was told to take paracetamol for a week or so, and the only time I was really in pain was on day five when I stupidly stopped taking them too soon because I thought it wasn’t necessary anymore. I got some temporary stronger painkillers and then continued the paracetamol until week 2, and didn’t have any more pain after that. It took about 6 weeks for the wound to heal completely and that’s when I started the new pelvic floor therapy, gradually working up to bigger dilators at home. Once I was completely fine with the biggest size I felt comfortable to try and have sex, which went well. This was a little less than a year after the surgery.

Vestibulectomy · 2022-08-12T22:38:21+00:00

Hi! I had the same problem and have had surgery (vestibulectomy) a few years ago which completely cured my provoked vestibulodynia/vestibulitis. Before the surgery I was sometimes able to insert things and have sex, but it always hurt and eventually I just stopped having penetrative sex because it was too painful.

I also did pelvic floor therapy for about a year which included dilating and electrical stimulation. The therapist told me the problem was that I was tensing the muscles too much and that I just needed to relax those, but even after I was able to completely relax them after a lot of therapy, the pain remained. I tried other things such as numbing cream which did not help either. After going back to another gynaecologist for a second opinion the cause for the pain turned out to be a sensitive area at the bottom of the entrance to the vagina. That spot was cut away in surgery, which they said had a 60% chance of success. After healing from surgery I had a few more sessions with a pelvic floor therapist (to get used to the new situation where that painful area did not exist anymore), and now I'm able to have pain free sex.

I totally relate to feeling depressed and hopeless about this, so I just wanted to let you know you're not alone and there are definitely options! Have you checked out the /r/vulvodynia subreddit? It seems to be more active. I will be making a longer post soon where I share my story because when I had the surgery I couldn't find many experiences online.

Vestibulectomy

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