I became hysterical and when my husband got home I fell down on the floor and just begged him to kill me because I couldn’t do my job, I couldn’t be a wife, I couldn’t take care of my child, and there was no reason for me to go on.

– Jane (interviewee)

The doctors told me it was all in my head, that I really couldn't be having any pain because I was no longer testing positive for a urinary tract infection. I would pray before going to see each new doctor. I'd walk in the office thinking, "Please. I don't care if I have cancer at this point. Just tell me it's something so I can learn to deal with it or take steps to make it better."

– Kat (interviewee)

I was diagnosed with vulvodynia when I was 20, but I know I had it much longer than that. My family physician had no idea that vulvodynia was a condition and even went so far as to tell me that the pain was all in my head.– A patient of Dr. Echenberg

– Jane (interviewee)

When the pain first started, I silently continued intercourse. When the pain was severe, I just had to stop. We would try at times, but I couldn't stand the pain. Eventually, my husband quit going to bed with me. He would stay up at night watching porn and satisfying his needs. We were married only two years when the pain started.– Survey Respondent

November 2025

About the Echenberg Institute for Pelvic and Sexual Pain

Curious about your pelvic and genital symptoms and how you can "turn down the dial" and get your life back? Are you ready to be listened to and believed? There is so much information that you haven't heard about uninvited and deep pelvic and genital sensations. Talking with Dr. Echenberg can be game-changing for your path to recovery!

Click here for our new fee schedule:

Options for affordable video calls with Dr. Echenberg

Who We Are - 

"Dial it DownIt "-

"Pain Reprocessing for Pelvic, Genital, and Sexual Pain Disorders"

We are a pain-science-informed education and advocacy initiative dedicated to making invisible pelvic pain visible. Founded by a gynecologist, author, and telehealth educator, Robert J. Echenberg, MD, FACOG, we empower patients of all genders and providers affected by chronic pelvic, genital, and sexual pain through evidence-based resources, strategic consulting, and strategies that make sense.

What we offer: 

  • Educational consults for patients navigating complex pain in the pelvic region

  • Strategic guidance for providers seeking compliant, trauma-informed workflows

  • Branded materials, including intake packets, consent forms, and outreach templates

  • Advocacy resources to reduce stigma and promote national awareness 

Get involved:

  • Whether you are a patient, provider, or supporter -- your voice matters. Explore our resources, support our mission, and help us build a future where pelvic, genital, and sexual pain are met with dignity, clarity, and hope.

  • If you are living in Pennsylvania, Dr. Echenberg can go a step further, providing prescriptions, ordering and interpreting tests, and giving direct medical advice.

  • For those outside of Pennsylvania, Dr. Echenberg can help guide you and your providers with further education, resources, and collaboration.

  • He has trained other practitioners to perform his detailed physical exam and office treatment regimens, and he continues to work integratively with them.

  • The Echenberg Model of Care is unique for these disorders, and Dr. E is seeking help to develop Centers of Excellence for genital and sexual pain disorders.

Click here for all available options 

 

Click here for an important message from Dr. Echenberg

 

 

New E-Book Now Available - 165 Pages

 

Loaded with clickable videos, articles, and many resources

 

Click on the book cover for purchase from our website

 

You're not alone. Your pain is real. Your voice matters.

Discover trauma-informed education and advocacy for chronic pelvic, genital, and sexual pain disorders

 

Follow Dr. E on Substack 

We support PelvicSense.com

We support "My Health Story"

 

 

Do you have any combination of these symptoms and can't find help?

 

The Pelvic region consists of all aspects of the male and female body between the umbilicus (belly button) and the mid-thigh. Chronic Pelvic Pain is a complex of painful pelvic symptoms, including, but not limited to:

        1) spontaneous and unwanted sexual arousal in the genital area,  (spectrum of             genital hyperarousal disorders - PGAD/RGS)

       2) urinary frequency and urgency associated with pain, (Painful Bladder   Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis) - (IBS)

       4) lower abdominal bloating and pressure.

       5) vaginal, vulvar, penile itching, burning, and sensitivity,

       6) sitting pain - constantly trying to favor one side or the other.

       7) sexual pain (entrance, during, or after sexual activity in females, and erectile and     ejaculatory pain in males), 

       8) lower back, sacral, hip, or lower abdominal pain.  Unexplained tailbone or buttock   pain.

Associated anger, shame, fear, frustration, anxiety, depression, agitation, self-doubt, or other negative emotional feeling, any or all secondary to the above symptoms

Have you had invasive diagnostic testing, multiple treatments, and surgeries - and still have no diagnosis that makes sense to you?  Let us "connect the dots".