Support for vulval symptoms in Anna Paulowna
Do you experience pain, itching, irritation, burning or other discomfort of the vulva that has a major impact on your daily life?
Perhaps you have a diagnosis such as vulvodynia, lichen sclerosus or lichen planus, or experience recurring thrush or other symptoms for which no clear cause has been found.
Vulval symptoms affect not only your body, but also how you feel. Because your symptoms are so personal and vulnerable, they can affect your connection with yourself, your body, your sexuality and your sense of womanhood.
Perhaps you are tired of worrying, searching for solutions and feeling concerned. Perhaps you have often been told that you “just have to learn to live with it”, while deep down you feel that more is possible. I believe things can be different. And somewhere inside, you feel that too.
Vulval symptoms may include pain, itching, irritation, burning or other discomfort of the vulva. Sometimes there is a diagnosis, such as vulvodynia, lichen sclerosus or lichen planus. Sometimes you experience recurring symptoms for which no clear cause is found. The symptoms may be present all the time or flare up in periods, and they may worsen through touch, intimacy, hormones, stress or tension.
Vulval symptoms can have a major impact on daily life. Pain, itching, irritation or uncertainty can affect your relationship, sexuality and self-image. You may feel uncomfortable talking about them with others. The search for a diagnosis or appropriate help can also ask a great deal of you. From my own experience of lichen sclerosus, I know how vulnerable intimate symptoms can feel. That is why I understand that vulval symptoms are often not only physical, but can affect you deeply on an emotional level too.
What does support for vulval symptoms in Anna Paulowna look like?
Your nervous system forms the foundation of your health and vitality. It influences your hormones, digestion, immune system, emotions and the way you respond to stress. Women’s health concerns never exist in isolation. Your body and emotions continually affect one another. This often receives too little attention in healthcare, even though for many women with vulval symptoms it can be an important key to feeling better.
Perhaps you recognise the pattern of always carrying on, caring for others and adapting yourself. Constantly keeping all the plates spinning is not only stressful and exhausting; it also takes you further and further away from yourself. I help you break that cycle.
In the sessions, there is space to slow down and feel what you truly need. Together, we look at what vulval symptoms do to you and what they ask of you. By combining ACT coaching with body-oriented exercises, we explore not only the symptoms themselves, but also what may be going on beneath them. Step by step, this can bring greater calm to your mind and body. From there, space for recovery can emerge.
“From the very first moment, it felt safe and familiar, and I am incredibly grateful to Lotte for her warm way of coaching. Thanks to her, I feel happier, lighter and full of energy again.” — Isa
What are vulval symptoms?
Vulval symptoms affect the external female genital area and may include pain, itching, irritation, burning, redness, small tears or other discomfort. Sometimes they are always present; sometimes they recur in episodes. There may be a diagnosis such as vulvodynia, lichen sclerosus or lichen planus. Recurring thrush or symptoms for which no clear cause is found can also have a major impact on daily life.
What can cause vulval symptoms?
Vulval symptoms can have different causes. Sometimes they arise from a skin problem or condition. Recurring thrush, hormonal changes, irritation from personal-care products, allergies or dryness can also cause symptoms. Tension in the pelvic floor may also play a part. If the muscles in your pelvic area tighten a great deal, this can cause more pain, pressure, tension, burning or sensitivity around the vulva. Sometimes no clear cause is found. This can be confusing, but it does not mean your symptoms are not real. What you feel deserves to be taken seriously.
What do stress, tension or long-term overload have to do with vulval symptoms?
Vulval symptoms are not “all in your head”. Pain, itching, irritation or burning are signals from your body. At the same time, stress, tension and long-term overload can affect your symptoms. Under stress, your nervous system is more often in a state of alert. Your body tightens more readily, including in your abdomen, pelvis and pelvic floor. If the muscles in your pelvic area tighten a great deal, this can cause more pain, pressure, tension or sensitivity around the vulva. Vulval symptoms can themselves also create stress. You may fear that the pain will return, feel uncertain about intimacy or be tired of searching for answers. As a result, you may monitor your body more closely or unconsciously tense it. In this way, symptoms, tension and fear can reinforce one another.
My support pays attention to your body, nervous system, thoughts and feelings. You learn to recognise when your body has been “switched on” for too long and what you need to settle again. This gives your natural capacity for recovery more space and can help greater balance to emerge, physically and mentally and emotionally. This can be supportive alongside vulval symptoms and the impact they have on daily life.
Can support for vulval symptoms sit alongside medical care?
Yes. Support for vulval symptoms can sit alongside medical care. Medical care remains important, particularly for pain, itching, irritation, skin changes, recurring infections or symptoms that concern you. My support is not intended to replace medical care, but focuses on the layer alongside it: what the symptoms do to you. Vulval symptoms can touch deeply on intimacy, sexuality, shame, uncertainty and your connection with your body. You may notice that you trust your body less, begin avoiding intimacy or feel less free in your sexuality. You may feel shame, sadness or frustration because your symptoms are so personal and largely invisible to the outside world. This is precisely why support can help. There is space to pause with your experience, what your body is telling you and what you need in order to feel comfortable in your body again.
What can support offer you if you experience vulval symptoms?
✔ Your mind becomes calmer and you worry less about your symptoms.
✔ You feel more relaxed in your body and pelvic area.
✔ You learn to listen to and trust your body’s signals.
✔ You gain clarity about your boundaries, needs and desires.
✔ You live according to your own rhythm and cycle, and what truly suits you.
✔ You feel more in control of how you deal with vulval symptoms.
Dear woman, from my own experience of lichen sclerosus, I know how deeply intimate symptoms can affect you. But I have also learnt that they can be an invitation. They can open a path back to yourself. For me, this may have been the most remarkable journey I have ever taken. A journey from always carrying on, caring and adapting. Back to connection. To the intimacy of being allowed to come home to yourself. To being truly present with what you feel, long for and deserve. This journey is here for you too, if you feel that now is the time to take that step.
VERBINDING Programme
VERBINDING is for women with vulval symptoms who feel: things are truly allowed to be different now. Women who do not only want to gain more control over their symptoms, but above all long for a deeper connection with themselves. Over nine weeks, we meet every other week for a total of five sessions (online or in person in Anna Paulowna, the Netherlands). Between appointments, you receive inspiring exercises and support via WhatsApp. You will also receive the workbook De Verbonden Vrouw (The Connected Woman) to support your process. The fee for this programme is €595.
Book your free discovery call today
Practice in Anna Paulowna
I support women with vulval symptoms at my practice in Anna Paulowna, the Netherlands. Sessions take place in our welcoming garden room, surrounded by greenery. The practice is easy to reach for women from the surrounding area, including Julianadorp, Callantsoog, Schagen, Wieringerwerf, Breezand, ’t Zand, Hippolytushoef and Den Helder.
Words from other women
11 years’ experience as a therapist | More than 10,000 hours of therapeutic support
“I really appreciated looking together with Lotte at where I was getting stuck and what I needed. She thought things through with me and helped me find my way, but did not do it for me. It truly was a journey we undertook together. Thanks to Lotte, I have come closer to myself and experience far fewer physical symptoms and negative thoughts. I always found the atmosphere warm and pleasant. Lotte is very attentive and radiates calm, while also being direct and honest. A lovely combination. I would certainly recommend coaching with Lotte if you want to find more calm within yourself.”
Marianne
“During the programme with Lotte, I went through an enormous transformation. Her approach is particularly valuable because it is not a quick fix, but a complete programme. When I encounter challenges now, I consciously pause with those experiences and apply the new insights. This has changed my entire perspective. I felt safe with Lotte from the beginning; she proved to be a warm and skilled coach. It felt like a shared journey in which you are not alone.”
Nikki
“Over the past few months, I followed a coaching programme with Lotte. Through many exercises and conversations, I learnt an incredible amount about myself and my symptoms. It is a very personal programme, but Lotte is highly knowledgeable and had a good sense of what I needed. There was also always space for me to say what felt right for me. From the very first moment, it felt safe and familiar, and I am incredibly grateful to Lotte for her kind and warm way of coaching.”
Lisanne
“Among other things, I was looking for more calm in my mind and a deeper connection with my body and feelings. Lotte has a great deal of knowledge and experience, and works with gentleness, love, calm and creativity. She always seemed to know exactly what I needed. The combination of ACT and yin yoga was the ideal way for me to engage more physically alongside our conversations. It was something I had never experienced before and proved very valuable. I also received personal exercises to work on. I learnt a great deal and am grateful that I was able to do this together with Lotte!”
Merel
Women from Julianadorp, Callantsoog, Schagen, Wieringerwerf, Breezand, ’t Zand, Hippolytushoef and Den Helder, among other places, come to my practice in Anna Paulowna for support with vulval symptoms.