Real Women. Real Stories. Real Strength.

There’s something powerful about hearing someone say, “Me too.” It shatters the loneliness. It softens the shame. It reminds us that we are part of something bigger — a community of women who have walked through fire and found a way to keep going.

In this chapter, I want to share the real stories of real women who’ve lived with Lichen Sclerosus. These stories have been anonymised, but they are all true. Each one reflects a journey of resilience, healing, and hope.

Emma, 47 – “I finally stopped blaming myself.”

Emma spent years thinking she was just unlucky. That her constant itching and pain were somehow her fault — maybe poor hygiene, maybe bad luck, maybe even something she deserved. She was diagnosed at 45, after being told for a decade that it was just thrush.

“Once I had a name for it, I cried. Not because I was sad — but because I was relieved. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t dirty. I was dealing with a real condition. I started treatment, joined a support group, and for the first time, I began to feel hopeful.”

Priya, 33 – “I took back my sex life.”

Priya was newly married when her LS symptoms started. Sex became painful, then impossible. She didn’t know how to talk to her husband about it. For a while, she withdrew emotionally and physically, terrified she’d lose her relationship.

“Therapy helped me find the words. My husband cried when I finally told him — not because he was upset, but because he hated seeing me suffer in silence. We learned to be close in new ways. And once I started on the O Shot and Morpheus8V, things changed. Sex became possible again. Even pleasurable.”

Lorraine, 69 – “I thought it was just ageing.”

Lorraine assumed her symptoms were just part of getting older. She lived with discomfort for years before a new nurse practitioner gently suggested a referral.

“It was like someone finally turned on the lights. I didn’t realise how much I’d normalised my pain. Now, I use my steroid cream properly, I’ve got a vulval care routine, and I feel like I have control again. At 69, I feel more empowered than I did at 39.”

Zoe, 25 – “I was the youngest person in my support group — but I felt seen.”

Zoe’s LS was diagnosed at 21. She felt totally alone. None of her friends had even heard of it. She kept it hidden for years.

“Eventually, I found an online forum. I met women of all ages — some younger than me, many older — and suddenly, I wasn’t a freak. I was just someone with a condition. I started talking about it more openly, even did a podcast episode about it. Sharing my story became part of my healing.”

Each woman’s experience with LS is different. Some find relief quickly. Others walk a longer road. But every story here has something in common: strength.

Strength doesn’t always look like fighting. Sometimes, it looks like resting. Or crying. Or asking for help. Sometimes, strength means surviving one day at a time — and then waking up to try again.

Your story matters too. And one day, it may help someone else feel seen.

In the next chapter, we’ll explore your treatment options — starting with what the NHS currently recommends as the gold standard.

Chapter 13: First-Line Treatments: What Steroids Can (and Can’t) Do