Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Hello I’m new here. The reason why I have come is because I just need to know if this sounds like PN or not because I’ve been googling my symptoms and it keeps popping up. So far, I feel like I’m in the beginning stages but I just need some advice as to not make it get worse.

So to start off, I’ve had conspitation issues since I was in my 20s (I’m 33 years old) and I did strain and the straining has caused me to get hemorrhoids in my mid 20s. They were so bad that I couldn’t really sit down. Eventually they cleared up but now, my hemorroids have flared up again and I was straining because I thought that you were supposed to strain but I learned that you can’t do that because that causes issues. Lately for the past month my hemorrhoids have been itchy and I’ve had tingling in my anal area but lately I’ve been feeling it my vaginal/vulva area. I dont know if that makes sense but I read that since the anus and vagina share tissues that it can cause pain in the vagina. I didn’t know that but it just made sense as to why I was feeling it down there too.

So now, about two weeks ago I’ve been feeling like a prickling sensation in my private area. I can’t really pinpoint but I would say that it’s mostly on the right side of like my outer labia and I googled it and I kept getting pudendal neurogolia but as of yet, I don’t have all the symptoms but I do have the tingling on the right side of my labia and maybe vaginal area. Should I be worried or does this sound like PN??? I am a little worried because I heard that it’s a very painful condition but I was wondering is this going to get worse or what should I do? Thank you

For more information, I feel like I may have damaged or stretched my pudendal nerve a bit due to the straining and I feel like that’s what’s causing my tingling in my private area but that was just my theory. I see my OBGYN next week and I will keep you all updated. God bless

Hi New09,

Welcome to the forum. I can't really tell you a diagnosis but hopefully your gyn will have a clue. I had some itchy vaginal feelings in the beginning of my PNE journey, but I thought it was a yeast infection at first, but it wasn't. I didn't know it was PNE at the time, so I just kept exercising and it eventually turned into pain. But if what you are describing is a pudendal nerve issue, since you are searching out a diagnosis early, you may be able to reverse the symptoms just with some lifestyle changes and being careful, so I wouldn't be worried at this point, but I would be careful. If you go to this page
https://www.pudendalhope.info/category/ ... e-changes/
and scroll down to the section on constipation and go to the constipation page, it will give you some ideas for preventing constipation. I use ground flax seed (2 TBS a day), magnesium tablets/capsules (400-800 mg a day), and a high fiber diet with lots of fruits and veggies. Be careful on the magnesium because you can get too much.

The pudendal nerve innervates the lower 1/3 of the vagina, the perineum, the anal sphincter, and the clitoris. There are 3 branches of the nerve -- the inferior rectal nerve, the perineal nerve, and the dorsal clitoral nerve. They can all be affected, or some branches can be affected while others aren't.

When you see your gyn you may want to ask for a referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist for an evaluation because many of them are good at helping to figure out what is going on -- whether there might be some muscles or nerves in the pelvic area involved. I was actually diagnosed by a pelvic floor PT when my doctors didn't have a clue.

Good luck with your appointment. I would be interested to hear how it goes for you.

Violet

Hello New09,

Your symptoms sound like they are in the distribution of the pudendal nerve. I have occasional labia pain and it is one of the worst symptoms I experience. I hope your gyn can give you some information and direct you to a urogynecologist or pelvic specialist, if necessary. Have you figured out why you suffer from constipation?
Stephanies

Hello all thank you so much for your replies. I’ve had conspitation since I was young but I did a little research and I found out about having tight pelvic floors. I looked up the symptoms of having a tight pelvic floor and I just felt like I fit the descriptions to a T. For a long time I always had problems with pap smears and it always frustrated my OBGYN and I remember her mentioning something that I didnt know how to relax or something like that. Even to this day pap smears have always been an issue for me so I was wondering can having a tight pelvic floor cause PN? Thank you so much

Hello Ms Violet thank you so much for your reply. Yeah so for the constipation I am trying not to strain anymore because I learned that you’re not supposed to do that so I haven’t been straining plus, a change with my diet and things are alot better regurding that but the tingling in the labia/vulva area is still there and I’m thinking that I may have damaged my pudenal nerve a bit due to the straining. I know that I will probably have that tingling for the rest of my life because I know that PN is not curable but I was wondering what I could do to not make it get worse. Thank you all

Well, that's sad that your obgyn commented on you not being able to relax -- when maybe there's a reason you can't relax! A tight pelvic floor can irritate the pudendal nerve but the other side of the story is that it's possible the pelvic floor is tight because the nerve is irritated for some other reason. Some people have a tight space between the ligaments that rubs on the nerve and causes the pelvic floor to be tight. It can also cause tingling. Or in your case, the chronic straining might have irritated the nerve and if you quit straining and deal with the constipation, maybe the nerve will heal and you will be fine.

I'm not sure that pudendal neuralgia can't be "cured" in some people. I'm 90% + better and I was in pretty bad shape at one point. And I know many people who have gotten much better and have their life back. So, there is hope for you. I think you are on the right track in being pro-active early.

Violet

Hello Im back. So I just went to my OBGYN and they said that it was just dryness but now I’m having these new symptoms of needing to urinate after I urinate. I don’t have a UTI or anything but also I’ve been feeling like a burning sensation in the private area at night and it just feels like some crawling in my private area that comes and goes. Is this more PN symptoms? I’m thinking about going to another doctor for a second opinion

New09 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2024 10:21 pm I’ve been feeling like a burning sensation in the private area at night and it just feels like some crawling in my private area that comes and goes. Is this more PN symptoms?

Potentially...

I think getting another opinion would make sense. I was actually diagnosed by a physical therapist who was knowledgeable about pudendal neuralgia when none of the local doctors had a clue. So keep that option in mind.

Violet

New09,

I think a second opinion is a good idea. Some people find urogynecologists to be helpful in diagnosing pelvic issues, including PN. If you haven’t seen one, you could try that route.

Stephanies