The 8 Easy Steps are self-help tricks crowd-sourced from dozens of women, medical practitioners, therapists, and sexual health doctors we interviewed. They are not meant to be a medical advice, but they helped dozens of women to connect to their body. Let us know how it went for you!
So this one is tricky. Sadly, we have heard again and again that many OBGYNs are still not equipped to diagnose and support treatment of pelvic pain. However, many already do! Wherever your OBGYN is, he/she will likely going to be your first contact coordinating diagnostics across medical disciplines. We strongly suggest that you educate yourself before going to OBGYN.
- Know yourself. First, follow our Step 3: Educate Yourself to understand your own pain better.
- Go to the best OBGYN. Try to find OBGYN or sexual health doctors with experience in pelvic pain or any specific conditions such as vaginismus, vulvodynia etc.
- Speak up. A lot of women remain silence, due to a stigma or conditioning. But at the end, if you are in pain, you need help. In the short run, only starting a dialogue can bring you closer to a medical diagnosis, if one is needed. Additionally speaking up will increase the demand for better education in these issues by OBGYN in the long run.
- Bring a book. You may want to bring some educational support. Some pelvic pain rehabilitants and experts suggest to bring a book on pelvic pain. There are many targeting the medical community, but Healing Pelvic Pain, although targeted at patients, may be a good solution. It also includes self help protocols we discussed in our Step 5 Do self-help practices.
- Diagnose across silos .Push for seeing the specialists. Some of the pelvic pain conditions need several doctors for the proper diagnostics. The best OBGYN will be able to coordinate the diagnostics between different specialists. Specialists you may want to consult include: GYN, GI, GU, Urogyn, Hernia specialist, among others.
- Trust yourself most. Finally, never forget you know best what you feel! We did, sadly, hear again and again about doctors who dismiss the pain and tell women it is all in their heads. We heard about doctors who advised women to “take Advil and drink some wine” before an intercourse in order to be relaxed. We hope you’ll never have to hear such dismissive comments. But if you do, always remember that your pain is real. We know that. And you are not alone.
