Diagnosis

After taking a thorough medical history and asking questions about your symptoms, your provider should carefully examine the vulva, vagina and vaginal secretions to rule out an active infection or skin disorder. Routine cultures for yeast and bacterial infections should be performed. Your provider may also recommend that you have blood drawn to assess levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. He/she will likely perform a cotton-swab test (pictured on the right). During the test, gentle pressure is applied to various vulvar sites and you’re asked to rate the severity of the pain. If any areas of skin appear suspicious, your provider may examine them with a magnifying instrument or take a biopsy of the area.