Women's Experience of Living with Vulvodynia Pain: Why They Participated in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Vulvodynia is vulvar pain lasting at least 3-months without clear identifiable cause that may have other associated factors. The aim, to explore motivations of women participating in a double-blind randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for vulvodynia. Methods: Responses to the question "Tell me about why you decided to participate in this study" were analyzed using conceptual content analysis to identify patterns in motivation for study participation. Results: Four patterns emerged 1) desire to address uncontrolled pain, 2) desire for understanding, 3) wish to contribute to knowledge generation, and 4) need to remove cost barriers. Conclusion: Motivations indicate vulvodynia-specific aspects of acceptability of acupuncture. Clinical Trial Registration NCT03364127.