Health Organization for Pudendal Education

I've been out of the loop for some time now. Back when I was researching 10 years ago, pudendal neuropathy was not thought to be hereditary. Now I'm seeing some postings on different websites that doctors are telling patients that it could be hereditary. Recently through Facebook I found my biological half-sister and I want to make her aware if this is an issue. If this is just a misconception or a rare belief held by some doctors, I don't want to come off as a crazy person and tell her about this.

I don't know if there has ever been a study on whether PN is hereditary but when I was in France for surgery Dr. Bautrant told me that he has seen it run in families. That is what I have observed in my own family with my mother and possibly my great-grandmother having it. I don't know exactly what my great-grandmother's issues were but the story is that she had "female" problems. Of course we know now the PN isn't just a female thing but back then it might have been considered that.

I'm not sure why it might run in families -- it could be because of a certain type of musculoskeletal build or maybe something that has to do with the genetics of the nervous system. I read an article a few years back on research showing that people with pain syndromes could have a genetic makeup of the myelin sheath that leads them to feel pain more easily. So, maybe it's a combination of factors that contribute to PN running is some families. But it doesn't run in every family or in every member of a family -- so I don't think everyone who has someone with PN in their family needs to be concerned that they are going to have it too. What I have told my kids is to just be careful and if they start having pain due to exercise, which is how it started with me, to back off and don't continue with something that is painful.

Violet

Thank you, Violet. I have a niece that does weight lifting and I'm constantly warning her to stop if she feels any pain. My mother and my sister have also had pain issues but they weren't pudendal. I read that too about the bone structure of the pelvis causing PN.

Information is good!!! Thank you so much for sharing with us