This is an explanation of where we are in our campaign to get all forms of CPP into the medical school curriculum and into the continuing education curricula. Right now I am focusing my efforts on Pudendal Neuralgia and Pervasive Genital Arousal Disorder because ACOG does not have guidelines or educational objectives for these conditions.

Who and what is ACOG?

ACOG stands for the American Congress of Obstericians and Gynecologists. ACOG determines what goes into the medical school curricula and into the continuing education curricula. ACOG creates the guidelines and the educational objectives for gynecology and obstetrics.

What are guidelines?

According to wikipedia:
Guidelines aim to present all the relevant evidence on a particular clinical issue in order to help physicians to weigh the benefits and risks of a particular diagnostic or therapeutic procedure. They should be helpful in everyday clinical medical decision-making.

The fact that ACOG does not have guidelines or educational objectives for PN and PGAD is shameful. This is how I feel:

My life was burnt to hell because of ignorance and indifference.

What do I do in order to cope with my own rage? I work hard to change the things that I know must be changed. I believe that I will succeed in creating what should have been in place for me but was not.

Guidelines and Educational Objectives are only the first step. New curricula has to be created and taught.

This brings us to our letter-writing campaign. On our facebook groups I have been posting about writing letters describing our suffering and pain and our desperate and endless search for diagnosis and treatment. We are sending these letters to three different people within ACOG.

Dr. Sandra Carson is the vice president of ACOG's department. Dr. Chris Zahn chairs the 'practice activity' division. Dr. Hal Lawrence is the executive director of ACOG.

We are sending our letters to Dr. Carson, Dr. Zahn and Dr. Lawrence. I have spoken with Dr. Carson a number of times. She has been kind and generous with her time. I do believe that Dr. Carson wants to help us. I have not spoken to Dr. Zahn or to Dr. Lawrence yet.

In our last conversation Dr. Carson urged me to send her peer-reviewed articles and names of experts that have researched and published on PN and PGAD. She wants to be able to recommend these doctors as consultants to the education committee. With their help the education committee will write educational objectives and curricula for PN and PGAD.

Dr. Chris Zahn is in charge of creating guidelines. Guidelines and education objectives can be created simultaneously.The urgency of our situation is that ACOG is writing a new edition of its educational objectives which it intends on having ready by January. We have a small window of time in which to work hard and fast. Every additional letter counts.

You have to believe me when I say that:

Your story very very much matters.