ISSWSH 2026 Recap: The Vulvodynia and Pelvic Pain Research You Need to Know About

I just got back from the ISSWSH (International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health) annual meeting in Long Beach, California - and I couldn't wait to bring everything I heard straight to you. This solo episode is part conference recap, part deep dive into the research I think matters most for anyone living with vulvovaginal pain, pelvic pain, or sexual pain of any kind.In this episode I cover:What sexual medicine actually is - and why a whole field exists around itVulvodynia subtypes and treatment matching - new data showing that hormonally-driven vulvodynia has a 70% response rate to estrogen/testosterone therapy, and why getting the wrong treatment for the wrong subtype may be why nothing has worked for youEndometriosis and neuroproliferative dyspareunia - a newly validated subtype of deep endo pain that is nerve-driven and needs an entirely different treatment approachPelvic venous disorder (PEVD) - essentially varicose veins inside the pelvis, and why almost no one is being checked for it despite its links to chronic pelvic pain and conditions like POTS, MCAS and hypermobilityThe vaginal estrogen update - why the removal of the black box warning on low-dose vaginal estrogen is such a big deal, and why these symptoms aren't just a menopause issueWhy women's pain is still being dismissed - a powerful presentation on the clinical gaze, pain measurement, gendered bias in medicine, and the feedback loop between underfunding and misdiagnosis. Plus: the dismissal of women's pain is not evenly distributed, and we need to talk about that.Access and equity - new data showing Manhattan has 60x more pelvic floor physios per capita than the Bronx, with only 21% of practices accepting MedicaidI also share something personal about privilege, what it means to be in a room like this, and who I'm really doing this for.Resources & links mentioned:🔗 ISSWSH — International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health🔗 @painsdownthere / @ThrushSupport - follow her on Instagram for important work on the link between recurrent thrush and vulvar nerve damage📖 When Sex Hurts: Understanding and Healing Pelvic Pain by Goldstein, Pukall, Goldstein & Krapf - the book on vulvodynia subtypes I recommend bringing to your doctor🔗 My Instagram: @theworldstightestcommunityIf anything in this episode resonated, please reach out - I read every message. And if you're finding this podcast helpful, sharing it with someone who needs it is the biggest thing you can do.