Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Mark Yudin, an obstetrician gynecologist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto with a combined clinical and research fellowship in Reproductive Infectious Diseases, about genital herpes. Topics covered include prevalence of genital herpes, causes of herpes, typical presentations, how to test for it, treatment options, tips for counselling patients, long term course of infection, and suppression in pregnancy.

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Lynne Margesson, a dermatologist at Dartmouth, about vulvar ulcers. Discussion topics include common causes of ulcers (infectious and non-infectious), syphilis ulcers, questions to ask on history, Behcet's disease, aphthous ulcers (simple and complex), vulvar manifestations of Crohn's disease, when to biopsy, treatment, how to treat recurrences, managing chronic recurrent aphthous ulcers, managing dysuria, and ulcers associated with vulvar tumors.

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Jill Allbritton, a dermatologist and dermatopathologist at the University of Maryland, and an expert in vulvar diseases. In this episode they discuss high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN). Topics covered include the definition of HSIL and dVIN, the symptoms and appearance of HSIL lesions, the presentation of dVIN and when to biopsy, diagnosis of HSIL and dVIN, the varying HSIL and dVIN treatments depending on the patient and lesion, recurrence rates, Bowen's versus HSIL on pathology, and patient follow up recommendations.

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Tania Day, a gynecologist in Newcastle, Australia with a PhD in the pathology of lichen planus, about vulvovaginal pathology. Discussion topics include where to take biopsies and what areas to avoid, when to use different biopsy types, what to write on pathology requisitions, advantages of reading pathology descriptions, interpreting pathology patterns (psoriasiform, spongiotic, lichenoid, etc.), and information on resources to learn more. Dr. Day also answers questions including do steroids mask diagnoses/should clinicians hold off on steroids before taking a biopsy, why do lichen planus biopsies often return a non-specific result, what to do when your biopsy result doesn't make sense, and are there specialized vulvar pathologists?

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Mary Lou Baxter, a dermatologist and the co-director of the gynaecology-dermatology clinic at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, about a variety of vulvovaginal conditions causing itch. The conditions discussed include psoriasis on the vulva (how it presents, incidence, diagnosis, and treatment) and vulvar eczema (how it presents, diagnosis, common triggering irritants and allergens, when to use patch testing, and how to treat contact dermatitis).

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. EJ Mayeaux, the chairman of the Department of Family and Preventative Medicine and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of South Carolina, about lichen simplex chronicus (LSC). Topics covered include the definition of LSC, how common LSC is, diagnosis, what advice to give to patients, treatment options, counselling around steroid use, medications for controlling itch, recurrence rate, and the importance of motivating patients for cure.

In this episode covering vulvodynia, Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Elizabeth Stewart, the co-founder and Director Emerita of the Vulvovaginal Service at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Atrius Health in Boston, the author of "The V Book", and co-creator of the educational website vulvovaginaldisorders.com. Topics discussed include the definition of vulvodynia, known causes of vulvodynia, what questions to ask when patients present with pain, how to diagnose vulvodynia, how to counsel patients, treatment options, helpful resources for patients, frequency of follow-up, and the probability of complete resolution of symptoms.

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Leslie Sadownik for part two of our lichen sclerosus talks. Dr. Sadownik is a gynecologist and the director of The BC Centre for Vulvar Health in Vancouver. This is an advanced talk and covers what to do when the patient is not getting better, how to treat patients with pain that is not improving, new lichen sclerosus treatments other than steroids, how to decide who to operate on, post-surgery treatment and counselling, re-operating with recurrence and how often to see patients once their disease is stable.

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Leslie Sadownik, a gynecologist from Vancouver and the director of The BC Centre for Vulvar Health, about lichen sclerosus. Topics discussed include common symptoms, demographics, how lichen sclerosus is diagnosed, differentiating between lichen sclerosus and lichen planus, indications for biopsy, treatment, and counselling around topical steroid use.

Dr. Selk interviews Dr. Luann Racher, a gynecologist from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, about vulvar cysts. Topics covered include what kinds of cysts can be found on the vulva, how to treat the different cyst types (Gartner's duct cysts, Bartholin gland cysts, Skene's duct cysts, and sebaceous cysts), risk of recurrence, treatment for infected cysts, and when to biopsy a cyst.