Vulvodynia and the Partner: What the Research Reveals About the Relationship in Chronic Pain

What happens to the person standing closest to your pain - the one who witnesses it but is almost never asked about?In this episode, I speak with Linn Myrtveit-Stensrud, a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral researcher at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Linn has spent her career studying vulvodynia in heterosexual relationships - specifically, how partners respond to pain, and how those responses can shape the pain itself. She is one of the few researchers focusing on a piece of this puzzle that most of us have lived but rarely see studied.We start with the criticism her work attracted when it went viral - the accusation that centering the male partner was a distraction from the women in pain - and why she sees that reaction as telling us something important about the anger and grief running through these communities. From there, we get into what actually happens to a couple when they have no name for what's wrong, why the partner is so often the only witness to how challenging things can get, and how a partner's response - whether negative, solicitous, or facilitative- can measurably influence pain outcomes. Linn also explains why "psychological" so often becomes a dead end in women's pain research, and shares what makes her hopeful: new research funding, more vulvar clinics, and the rise of patient organizations changing the system from the ground up.Whether you're living with vulvodynia, you're the partner trying to understand it, or you think carefully about how medicine treats women's pain - I think you'll take a lot from this one.This episode is sponsored by Pelva. Use code TWTC10 at checkout to receive 10% off your first order.In this episode:Why centering the partner's experience drew criticism - and what that backlash revealsWhat happens to a couple when they have no name for the painWhy the partner is so often the only witness to how bad it really getsHow a partner's response can measurably influence pain outcomesThe problem with labeling women's chronic pain "psychological"Why master's students leave this field - and what that costs the researchWhether vulvodynia affects fertility, pregnancy, and childbirthWhat makes Linn hopeful about where this field is headingConnect with Linn Myrtveit-Stensrud:https://www.instagram.com/kvinnehelsepsykologen_phd/Connect with Mathilde:IG: @theworldstightestcommunity Website: theworldstightestcommunity.com Support the podcast