Pelvic Health
I often work with issues that affect many men and trans people, including erectile dysfunction, scrotum pain, and red scrotum syndrome (RSS, which is characterized by redness (erythema), itchiness (pruritus), hypersensitivity, pain (dysesthesia). These conditions are often highly medicalized, but they are frequently related to anxiety, stress, and emotions that are quite difficult for patients to pin down or figure out on their own—working with a so-called “mind-body informed” coach or therapist can be helpful. Many people experience notable reduction in symptoms and some even have full recoveries and no longer struggle with pain, erectile issues, red scrotum symptoms, or other pelvic symptoms.
For more on these issues, check out these podcasts:
Howard Schubiner, MD: How to Relieve Pelvic Pain and Erectile Problems
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-relieve-pelvic-pain-and-erectile-problems/id1395956643?i=1000428722898
Alan Gordon, LCSW: How anxiety ruins erections
Michael Hodge - The Root Cause and Solutions Why Men and not just Women have Pelvic Pain and Sexual Issues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFlRaTk0zYU
Preliminary Evidence Suggesting Mens’s Chronic Pelvic Symptoms (including Red Scrotum Syndrome) May Be Closely Related to Emotional Stress
Anyasodor MC, Taylor RE, Bewley A, Goulding JMR.Dysaesthetic penoscrotodynia may be a somatoform disorder: results from a two-centre retrospective case series. Clin Exp Dermatol 2016; 41:474–479.
Virtual Grand Rounds in Dermatology, patient comment thread on the November 2011 RSS case (2011–2018).
You can read some recovery stories in this patient comment thread above ^
The below image for guiding patients on how to interrupt the cycle of fear→symptom→ fear for red scrotum syndrome or vulvodynia was generated by Claude AI based on prompts and suggestions from Kent Bassett, LMSW. The ideas for it are based on the work of Howard Schubiner, MD and Alan Gordon, LCSW and a format of treatment they both innovated called Pain Reprocessing Therapy.
Vulvodynia Resources
Torres-Cueco R, Nohales-Alfonso F. Vulvodynia — It Is Time to Accept a New Understanding from a Neurobiological Perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(12):6639.
Managing Vulvodynia with Central Sensitization: Challenges and Strategies. J Clin Med. 2023.
Zhang Z et al. Altered central sensitization in subgroups of women with vulvodynia. Clin J Pain. 2011.