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Skin, Mucosa and Menopause pp 181–196Cite as

Sensory Perception on the Vulva and Extragenital Sites

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Abstract

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) measures perception thresholds of defined intensities of physical stimuli (e.g., temperature, touch, pressure, vibration). The frequency and severity of subjective sensory effects (itch, burn), though less quantifiable, can be assessed under defined conditions such as trials of hygiene products. This reviews two sources of published research on sensory perception on the vulva relative to extragenital sites: (1) systematic quantitative sensory testing with defined stimuli and (2) vulvar sensory effects reported in prospective randomized trials of external feminine hygiene products. In healthy women, the vulva is generally less sensitive to mechanical stimuli (punctate touch and vibration) than other body sites. Vulvar sensitivity to mechanical stimuli declines after menopause, but is restored by estrogen supplementation. Product trials of feminine wet wipes suggest that vulvar perception of stinging and of skin wetness also is attenuated after menopause, although perceptions of burning or itching appeared to be unaffected. QST also reveals that women with localized provoked vulvodynia have an elevated response to vestibular touch and pain as well as to pain on extragenital sites. More systematic, standardized conditions are needed to validate the continued use of QST on the vulva and to better define the characteristics and intensity of subjective vulvar sensations.

Portions of this chapter appeared in an open-access article by Farage et al., The Open Women’s Health Journal, 2012 6: 6–18, and are reproduced under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Innovative Sciences, The Procter & Gamble Company, 6110 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45224, USA

    Miranda A. Farage MSc, PhD

  2. Global Product Stewardship, The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Kenneth W. Miller PhD

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Core and Pelvic Pain Research Center, The Center for Neurosensory Disorder, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Denniz A. Zolnoun MD, MPH

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    William J. Ledger MD

Authors
  1. Miranda A. Farage MSc, PhD
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  2. Kenneth W. Miller PhD
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  3. Denniz A. Zolnoun MD, MPH
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  4. William J. Ledger MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miranda A. Farage MSc, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Miranda A. Farage

  2. Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Kenneth W. Miller

  3. School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Nancy Fugate Woods

  4. Department of Dermatology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Farage, M.A., Miller, K.W., Zolnoun, D.A., Ledger, W.J. (2015). Sensory Perception on the Vulva and Extragenital Sites. In: Farage, M., Miller, K., Fugate Woods, N., Maibach, H. (eds) Skin, Mucosa and Menopause. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44080-3_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44080-3_15

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-44079-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-44080-3

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