8/3/11
Dear Dr. Kate: All My Special Places Are Too Tender!

photo by mistress_f

Dr. Kate is an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City and she answers your medical questions here every two weeks. To ask her your own question, click here.

Dear Dr. Kate,

Recently, all my special places have become so tender. My boyfriend can’t touch my nipples or clitoris without me pulling away from him in pain. I can’t even masturbate anymore as I used to, it literally takes like two or three touches to my clitoris to send me over the edge. This is a bit annoying because it’s not tender in a good way, but tender in a painful way! I haven’t changed my diet or my birth control pills and I’ve gotten a period for the past however many months I can remember. What could this be? Should I be worried?

— Hurts So Bad

Dear H.S.B.,

Pain is generally a sign that something is wrong, so I think a visit to your gyno is in order. Are any other parts of your body suddenly painful to touch, or just your nipples and clitoris? Are you able to have intercourse, or is that too painful as well? She should do a thorough physical exam to look for any tiny ulcers or lesions that could be a sign of an STD (not likely on your nipples, but more on your vulva).

She may also see signs of vulvar vestibulitis, an inflammatory condition that isn’t an infection, but looks like red, angry spots that are incredibly painful to touch. If everything looks completely normal, and your testing is negative, and nothing else is hurting you, it doesn’t sound like something medical is going on. Let’s see what your gyno says, and please write back so we can figure out what the next step should be to get your body back the way it was.

— Dr. Kate
Gynotalk
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Dr. Kate is an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City. She also lectures nationally on women’s health issues and conducts research on reproductive health. Check out more of her advice and ask her a question at Gynotalk.com.