Central And Peripheral Mechanisms Associated with Maintenance and Production of Symptoms in Provoked Vestibulodynia

Andrea Rapkin, MD
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UCLA
Financial Disclosure: None
Jennifer Labus PhD
Director, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core, G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience; Adjunct Professor, Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA
Financial Disclosure: None

The most prevalent subtype of vulvodynia, provoked vestibulodynia (PVD), is a chronic vulvar pain disorder characterized as pain and burning sensations localized to the vulvar vestibule. The underlying pathophysiology of PVD is poorly understood, and identification of effective medications and interventions remain inefficient. In the first half of this talk Dr. Rapkin will review the diagnostic criteria for PVD and present the proposed pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the disorder. Dr. Labus will then review existing data supporting central sensitization in PVD. She will present new findings linking these central alterations with symptoms and peripheral biomarkers such as sphingolipid and steroid hormone signaling pathways.