PGAD - persistent genital arousal disorder

[Violet M]

Hi Flor,

Well, my symptoms sort of morphed, I guess. I had started a weightlifting program 2 months prior to the first symptoms. The first symptoms started out as a toothache feeling on one side of the vaginal wall. I had some physical therapy that sort of got rid of that, but the PT had me do hip openers which really stretched the muscles. The toothache feeling went away but then I developed PGAD and had that with no other symptoms for a few months. Over time I developed urinary symptoms -- frequency and burning, and then a cascade of other pelvic symptoms. My pain levels were related closely to physical activity, not stress or anxiety.

When you have anxiety or stress it is possible you could clench your pelvic floor muscles and irritate nerves in that area. Maybe it would be worth it to have an evaluation by a physiotherapist to see if there is a muscular component. If you pelvic floor muscles are not tense but your symptoms are anxiety or stress related then you might find Ezer/Nonsequitur's posts on this form helpful.

Violet

[coz69x]

Hi Violet,
I was just wondering if pt could make my pgad worse (by reading your comment you got pgad after pt)
I am going to explain all my symptoms to the pt. I have practically had a 90% symptom free day. So that's positive
Lily x

[Flor]

Violet,

I thought it could be a mild form of PN /irritation of the pudendal nerve that flares up when I'm more anxious than usual altho I don't know what could have caused it, I'm wondering if bad posturing might have had something to do with it...
One of the first problems one has is to find the right professional,tired of seeing from gynos to neuros that have no clue of this specific disorder & its causes. I'll try a PT, thanks for your advice. & glad you are pain free

P.S, I've seen some of nonsequitur's posts, I find them quite interesting.

[coz69x]

Hi Flor,
I just thought I'd share some info with you, I listened to Dr echenberg on a radio station and he said the way he's realised and found most successful is to consult a urologist even if you have no urinany symptoms, get a knowledgeable PT and also find a Dr who is familiar with pudendal nerve issues. And do all three at the same time, this is the way he has treated many people and turned the dial down on people's pgad!
Hope it helps .
Lily x

[dreamsooz]

Hello everyone,

I woke up this morning with this weird arousal feeling in my vagina. I've searched online and found this forum that seemed to have wonderful people that can hear my rant about this. I'm just scared of this being my new reality. Orgasms doesn't do anything. I already have nervous tics that are painful, OCD, DPDR (because of anxiety) and this is pushing me to be even more depressed. I can't stop crying because I'm scared of this staying forever. It's horrible. Yesterday, I was normal. I don't know if it's because of my pudendal nerve. I know I have some issues with nerves because since january I have on and off weird pain/cold-hot feeling in my left legs. Doctors have given me strong anti-inflammatory meds to help with that.

I'm depressed right now and i'm suffering.

Ally

[Violet M]

Hi Ally,

Please try not to think of this as your new reality just yet because for one thing you don't really have a diagnosis at this point. I think it's important to get to the bottom of what is really causing this for you. You could start by asking your doctor about imaging to rule out something in your spine, especially since you have some leg symptoms also. You could also see a pelvic floor PT to find out if your pelvic floor is overly tense, contributing to nerve irritation. In the meantime, you can try using ice, including ice balloons inserted vaginally to calm down any possible nerve irritation and relieve your symptoms temporarily, especially if you are having difficulty sleeping.

Violet

[dreamsooz]

Hi Violet,

Thank you for responding quickly. I freaked out yesterday and today i'm more calm about this. The feeling didn't appeared directly when I woke up this morning, it's still not totally there now so I hope it will go away in the next few days. I will wait until next monday before going to see my doctor and ask about the things you told me (legs-nerves and PT).

Ally

[dreamsooz]

Update.

The weird arousal (I think it was that yesterday but can't be 100% sure) changed today and became more of a itch. I've been having vaginal itchiness as well and intense vaginal discharge. I went to the doctor tonight and she did a vaginal exam. She told me I had a LOT of white discharge + my itch it could be vaginosis or something else. She made some tests. Just have to wait. We'll see, I hope it's that to be honest.

Ally

[Violet M]

Well, if it's bacterial or yeast related hopefully it will be easily treatable. I have known women with PGAD who had increased vaginal discharge similar to the lubrication that is experienced during normal sexual arousal.

Violet

[dreamsooz]

Hi Violet,

Is it possible for women to have random bouts of PGAD (days or weeks) and then leave with no reason ? Or is it a condition that stays until we find what is causing it ? The feeling has lessen by 50% since wednesday so I don't know if it's leaving on it's own.

And the vaginal discharge that she saw didn't look like the kind I have with sexual arousal, it was really white (habitually it would be almost like water for me).

Thank you,

Ally