Effectiveness of hypnosis for the treatment of vulvar vestibulitis syndrome:

[Guest guest]

 Department of

Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

pukallc@...

INTRODUCTION: Vulvar

vestibulitis syndrome (VVS) is a common cause of vulvar pain. Therapeutic

options target different pain systems believed to be involved in its

development and maintenance. Most treatments target the pain component with the

assumption that sexual function will increase once the pain has decreased, yet

this is not necessarily the case. AIMS: Research has supported the

effectiveness of hypnosis for many chronic pain disorders, and a case report

demonstrated pain reduction and an increase in intercourse pleasure in a woman

with VVS. This preliminary study examined the effectiveness of hypnosis on pain

and psychosexual function in VVS. METHODS; Eight women suffering from VVS

completed a hypnosis screening assessment, an interview, pain and psychosexual

questionnaires, a gynecologic examination, vestibular pain threshold

measurement, a psychosexual assessment, and six hypnotherapy sessions. The

physical examinations, interview, and questionnaires were repeated at 1 and 6

months posttreatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: These included pain ratings during

the gynecologic examination, vestibular pain thresholds, scores on the McGill

Pain Questionnaire and Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and responses to questions

on intercourse-related and nonintercourse-related pain. Measures of

psychosexual function included the Female Sexual Function Index, State-Trait

Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Brief Symptom Inventory.

RESULTS: Results indicated significant decreases in gynecologic examination pain

and in several measures assessing intercourse pain, and nonsignificant

increases in threshold. Some indices of noncoital vulvar pain decreased.

Overall sexual function, particularly sexual satisfaction, increased at

posttreatment. There were no differences on any psychological measure.

Participants reported satisfaction with the treatment and rated their VVS pain

reduction as average. CONCLUSIONS: Hypnotherapy appears to be a promising

treatment for reducing intercourse pain and some aspects of noncoital vulvar

pain, and for restoring sexual function in women with VVS. These results

suggest that a large controlled trial should be considered.

PMID: 17367437 [PubMed -

indexed for MEDLINE

[Guest guest]

Thank you for this article. I am doing Hypnotherapy, however my

therapist had never heard of VVS before he met me so he is a little

unsure how to proceed. I will give him this article.

>

> Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario,

Canada. pukallc@...

>

> INTRODUCTION: Vulvar vestibulitis syndrome (VVS) is a common cause

of vulvar pain. Therapeutic options target different pain systems

believed to be involved in its development and maintenance. Most

treatments target the pain component with the assumption that sexual

function will increase once the pain has decreased, yet this is not

necessarily the case. AIMS: Research has supported the effectiveness

of hypnosis for many chronic pain disorders, and a case report

demonstrated pain reduction and an increase in intercourse pleasure in

a woman with VVS. This preliminary study examined the effectiveness of

hypnosis on pain and psychosexual function in VVS. METHODS; Eight

women suffering from VVS completed a hypnosis screening assessment, an

interview, pain and psychosexual questionnaires, a gynecologic

examination, vestibular pain threshold measurement, a psychosexual

assessment, and six hypnotherapy sessions. The physical examinations,

interview, and questionnaires were repeated at 1 and 6 months

posttreatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: These included pain ratings

during the gynecologic examination, vestibular pain thresholds, scores

on the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and

responses to questions on intercourse-related and

nonintercourse-related pain. Measures of psychosexual function

included the Female Sexual Function Index, State-Trait Anxiety Scale,

Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Brief Symptom Inventory.

RESULTS: Results indicated significant decreases in gynecologic

examination pain and in several measures assessing intercourse pain,

and nonsignificant increases in threshold. Some indices of noncoital

vulvar pain decreased. Overall sexual function, particularly sexual

satisfaction, increased at posttreatment. There were no differences on

any psychological measure. Participants reported satisfaction with the

treatment and rated their VVS pain reduction as average. CONCLUSIONS:

Hypnotherapy appears to be a promising treatment for reducing

intercourse pain and some aspects of noncoital vulvar pain, and for

restoring sexual function in women with VVS. These results suggest

that a large controlled trial should be considered.

>

> PMID: 17367437 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

>