The term vulvodynia is usually used to describe burning or stabbing pain that is felt more diffusely throughout the vulva. Many women have both vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis. Others may also experience rectal pain or itching. However, many other women have no problems except for vulvar pain. However, many women do not have family members who suffer from vulvodynia or the other illnesses mentioned above.
Age of onset varies from late teens to post-menopause.
There are frequent attempts to use surveys to discover what else may correlate with vulvar pain. Many have had problems with recurrent yeast infections. A very large number have reported the pain has intensified when they were on birth control pills and also gets worse before or during their periods. Some have other skin disorders, such as bumps or blisters on the hands and fingers, which might be warts, allergies, or fungal infections and may or may not be related to the bumps and sores in the vulvar area. Bumps may also appear on the upper or lower eyelid or close to the eye.