A 21-year-old woman from the US has revealed how a rare medical condition has?'ruined her life'.?Scarlet Kaitlin Wallen from Barrington in the US state of Rhode Island said she has persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), a condition that causes uncontrollable arousal.?According to Wallen, her symptoms started when she was just six years old, and?has?lived ever since with a feeling of severe and constant?¡°pins-and-needles¡±?in her private parts.
As she grew?older?the pain and discomfort only worsened?and?by the time she was 15, Wallen only had a handful of pain-free days.
"I?had been experiencing pain for as long as I remember. My vulva was constantly burning - it was like I?was naturally aroused?but?I?didn't?want it.?There's?nerve pain,?it's?not wanted - and?there's?no pleasure,"?Wallen told The New York Post.
The rare condition hindered her from playing outside with friends as a child?and?now unable to study or work as an adult.
According to her, sometimes the burning and unwanted arousal would become so unbearable to the point where she would use vapor rub on her genitals to distract from it.?
Chemicals in the rub would give her severe thrush ¡ª but she found the?¡°rawness and burning¡±?more tolerable than the pain from PGAD.?
After living through the pain for many years, at the age of 18, she revealed her struggles to her parents?who?took her to the San Diego Sexual Medicine Clinic in California.
There?she?was diagnosed with PGAD and other sexual dysfunctions, such as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction - numbness in the genitals caused by antidepressants.
Additionally, she?was found?to be suffering from congenital neuroproliferative vestibulodynia - a condition that makes the pelvic nerves hypersensitive to touch.
Further, the doctor found that she had a duplicate vagina, which was unrelated to her PGAD.
In 2023, Wallen?underwent surgery?to remove it?giving?her a greater chance of having a?¡°normal¡±?sex drive in the future.
¡°I¡¯m?just hopeful that one day?I¡¯ll?be able to live a normal life,¡±?she said.
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