Four things to name every time
- Location
- Vulva or vagina? Entrance or deep? One side or both? Front (bladder) or back (bowel)? Use the anatomy hub if you're unsure of the word.
- Timing
- Which cycle day, how long it lasts, whether it repeats every month. This is where your logs do the work for you.
- Quality
- Burning, stabbing, dragging, aching, itching, stinging. Different qualities point at different causes.
- Impact
- What you can't do. Missed work, avoided sex, cancelled plans, sleep lost. Impact is what moves a clinician from reassurance to investigation.