title: "Will I ever be a true woman?" An exploration of the experiences of women with vestibulodynia.
abstract: In this study we explored the experiences of Norwegian women living with vestibulodynia, a chronic disease affecting young women all over the world. Using a phenomenological approach we conducted in-depth interviews with eight women who had struggled with vestibulodynia for several years. Our findings reveal that their efforts to fulfill their partners' sexual desires as well as their own represented an encompassing ongoing process. In addition, we highlight the interrelationship between the intensity of vulvar pain experienced by individual women and decisions women make about prioritizing their own sexual needs.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences , Oslo , Norway.|b Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Karen Synne
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Groven
authors.affiliation: c Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Målfrid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Råheim
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Håkonsen
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Gro Killi
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Haugstad
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D059350:Chronic Pain; D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009664:Norway; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D056650:Vulvodynia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult