If you are experiencing hot, burning, intense pain in the saddle despite efforts to relieve your discomfort, you may want to read the following.

Vulvodynia is coming into focus again in the medical community as more women report chronic and sometimes debilitating vulvular pain. The most commonly reported symptom is feeling a hot, burning sensation that is triggered by pressure contact.

The painful onset can be triggered by several things, including walking, sitting, inserting a tampon, sex, and cycling. Changes in hormonal levels have been indicated in vulvodynia. Some women in their teens through 80's may experience a sudden onset of vulvodynia.

Women who suffer from this disorder have been reluctant to talk to their health care provider, or if they have sought treatment, were more than likely misdiagnosed. A simple test procedure in which pressure applied by a cotton swab to the trigger areas is used to diagnose vulvodynia. Upon the health care provider diagnosing vulvodynia, patients can seek treatment for the relief of pain.

Some treatment options include oral medications including antidepressants, topical pain block medications, physical therapy, nerve blocks, diet changes, and surgery to remove the nerve bundle if indicated.

20/20's Dr. Timothy Johnson did a segment on vulvodynia on 7 August.

For further reading on vulvodynia:

http://nva.org/