Nearly Half of Patients Seeking Vulvovaginal Disorder Care Report Negative Experiences

TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Patients seeking care for vulvovaginal disorders report distress and gaslighting from past clinical experiences, according to a study published online May 8 in JAMA Network Open.

Chailee F. Moss, M.D., from the Centers for Vulvovaginal Disorders in Washington, D.C., and colleagues designed a patient-centered instrument and used it to conduct a survey of 447 patients treated at a vulvovaginal disorder referral clinic from August 2023 to February 2024 to assess patient experience.

The researchers found that a mean of 43.5 percent of patients reported that past practitioners were supportive, 26.6 percent were belittling, and 20.5 percent did not believe them. Roughly one in four patients (41.6 percent) were told they just needed to relax more, while 20.6 percent were advised to drink alcohol. Roughly half of patients (52.8 percent) considered ceasing care because their concerns were not addressed, while 20.6 percent were referred to psychiatry without medical treatment, 16.8 percent felt unsafe during a medical encounter, and 39.4 percent said they were made to feel crazy. Made to feel crazy was the most distressing surveyed behavior (rated at a mean of 7.39 of 10 on a numerical rating scale of distress). Qualitative themes included lack of clinician knowledge (247 quotations) and dismissive behaviors (211 quotations).

“There is an urgent need for education supporting a biopsychosocial, trauma-informed approach to vulvovaginal pain and continued development of validated instruments to quantify patient experiences,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Abstract/Full Text