Dr. Ruby Nguyen, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, led a recent study to determine if perceived stereotyping affects the likelihood that women experiencing chronic vulvar pain will seek care. The results, based on a survey of 12,834 women aged 18-40 years in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, showed that perceived negative stereotyping among chronic pain sufferers is common, particularly negative perceptions about physicians. Study data did not indicate that fear of physician stereotyping kept women with chronic vulvar pain from seeking care. In fact, chronic vulvar pain sufferers who felt stigmatized were more likely to have sought care than those who did not feel stigmatized. The study was published online in the journal Pain Medicine.