About
My name is Bo Penny
I am a passionate advocate for women’s health, with a deeply personal and informed focus on vulvar health awareness. After more than a decade of navigating my own journey through the traditional medical system with Differentiated Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia
(d-VIN) and Lichen Sclerosus—both serious conditions that are precursors to vulvar cancer if left undiagnosed or untreated—I bring not only knowledge, but also my own lived experience, compassion, and understanding.
Recognizing the stigma, lack of readily available information and silence that often surround vulvar health, I am committed to breaking these barriers. I speak openly to empower women with knowledge, encourage early detection, and create a safe space for conversations that are too often avoided. My mission is to ensure that no woman feels alone, unheard, or ashamed when it comes to her body and her health.
Beyond my advocacy, I embrace a holistic approach to well-being. I am an avid gardener and book lover, a Reiki practitioner, and a dedicated yoga and meditation practitioner. I developed a Tai Chi–inspired program to improve balance, mobility, and overall strength, which I teach weekly.
Through my work, I weave together education, personal empowerment, and holistic healing—guiding women toward greater awareness, resilience, and connection to their bodies.
VULVAR HEALTH
Your vulva is not supposed to hurt.
And yet—so many people are living with discomfort, confusion, or silence around their vulva.
This page exists to interrupt that.
To replace:
dismissal → with knowledge
shame → with curiosity
silence → with language
Pause for a moment:
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Does anything itch, burn, or sting?
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Has your skin changed colour or texture?
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Is there pain with touch or penetration?
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Have you been told “everything looks normal” but it doesn’t feel normal?
If you said yes to any of these, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone. Please reach out to a healthcare provider if you notice:
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Pain that persists
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Itching that doesn’t resolve
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Skin changes
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Pain during sex
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Anything that feels “off” for more than a couple of weeks
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And if you are dismissed? You are allowed to seek another opinion.
To get you ready for your appointment, have a read through these conditions and see if anything fits what you are experiencing. These things can sometimes be tricky to diagnose, so the better you understand your own experience, the easier it will be to talk to your doctor or other health care professional.
COMMON VULVAR CONDITIONS
Vulvodynia
Feels like: burning, stinging, rawness
Often triggered by: touch, sex, tight clothing—or nothing at all
What’s really going on:
The nervous system is amplifying sensation. The pain is real—even if nothing “looks wrong.”
Support looks like:
Pelvic floor therapy, pain care, trauma-informed support, and practitioners who actually listen.
Lichen Sclerosus
Looks like: white, thin, delicate skin
Feels like: itching, tearing, pain
Important:
This condition can change the architecture of the vulva over time—and increase cancer risk if untreated.
Care:
Ongoing treatment (usually topical steroids) and monitoring.
VIN (Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia)
What it is: precancerous cell changes
What to watch for: itching, lesions, colour changes
Truth:
Early detection makes this highly treatable.
Vulvar Cancer
Watch for:
sores that don’t heal
lumps
bleeding
persistent itching
Say this out loud:
Early detection saves lives.
COMMONLY MISSED (BUT COMMON)
Lichen Planus
Lichen Planus
Red, inflamed, sometimes eroded tissue. Often painful. Often misdiagnosed.
Vulvar Dermatitis
Contact Dermatitis
Sometimes your vulva isn’t “broken”—it’s reacting.
Common culprits: soaps, wipes, detergents.
Bartholin Cysts
Bartholin Cyst
Swelling near the vaginal opening. Can become painful if infected.
Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
Dryness. Thinning tissue. Pain.
Common. Treatable. Not something you have to “just live with.”
Yeast Infections
Vulvovaginal Candidiasis
Very common. Still worth proper diagnosis—because not all itching is yeast.
Herpes (HSV)
Herpes Simplex Virus
Blisters or sores. Recurring. Manageable.
Also: incredibly stigmatized for something so common.