Why I Started VULVAi: Because “Normal” Shouldn’t Hurt
Tired of hearing “I don’t know” or “this is normal” when it comes to your vaginal or vulvar pain? Discover why Dr. Maria Uloko created VULVAi—a digital health platform to end misdiagnosis and help you reclaim your body through evidence, education, and self-advocacy.
What If Your Pain Isn’t Normal?
If you’ve ever been told your pain is “just part of being a woman”—burning after sex, stinging when you pee, aching in your pelvis—you’re not alone.
Too often, patients walk into medical offices seeking answers and leave with a familiar story:
Another round of antibiotics
Another negative test
Another “maybe it’s just stress”
I built VULVAi because this pattern isn’t just frustrating—it’s systemic. And it’s unacceptable.
“I Don’t Know” Is Not a Diagnosis
And “This Is Normal” Is Not a Treatment Plan
For years, I saw patients who had been told the same two things over and over again:
“I don’t know.”
“This is normal.”
But if you're:
Crying after sex because it burns for hours
Missing work because your vulva feels like it’s on fire
Using creams, antibiotics, or suppositories that never help
Then that is not normal.
These dismissive answers have become the status quo in a medical system that was never taught how to understand vulvar pain. I started VULVAi because we deserve better.
When the Diagnosis Doesn’t Match the Experience
Many patients come in with:
Pain during sex
Chronic burning or irritation
Urinary urgency with negative cultures
Discomfort with exercise or clothing
They’re told it’s a UTI, yeast, anxiety, or “just hormones.” But the pain returns—often worse, and often ignored.
What’s usually missed?
Vestibulodynia. Lichen sclerosus. Vulvar atrophy. Pelvic floor dysfunction. Vulvar dermatitis.
These are real conditions. And they’re often misdiagnosed—or not diagnosed at all.
This isn’t patient failure.
This is system failure.
The Real Problem: Medicine Wasn’t Built for Us
As a urologist and sexual health expert, I’ve treated thousands of patients with vulvar and pelvic pain. And the common thread wasn’t their symptoms—it was the delay in diagnosis.
Here’s why:
Vulvar anatomy is barely covered in medical school
The clitoris is missing from many textbooks
Residency programs rarely include pelvic pain training
Health tech has focused on fertility, not pain
This isn’t a niche problem.
It’s a public health blind spot affecting millions.
So I Built the Tool I Wish Every Patient Had
VULVAi is a digital health platform that does what the medical system too often won’t:
Listen
Translate your symptoms
Educate you on real diagnoses
Empower you to advocate for better care
Our AI technology maps your symptoms to clinically supported conditions and gives you tools to:
Speak clearly to your provider
Understand your body
Pursue treatment that actually helps
Because self-education is self-advocacy.
And when you know your body, you stop letting other people define it for you.
You Deserve to Know What’s Really Going On
You deserve to know:
Why birth control might be causing your pain
How to tell the difference between recurrent infection and hormone-driven symptoms
What to ask for when a provider dismisses you
You are your best advocate—and knowledge is power.
This Is Why I Started VULVAi
To end the cycle of misdiagnosis and dismissal
To give patients real language, real answers, and real hope
To change how we talk about vulvar and pelvic pain—forever
Because:
“I don’t know” is not a diagnosis
“This is normal” is not a plan
And “normal” shouldn’t hurt
Take the First Step Toward Relief
VULVAi is the first AI-powered platform designed to help you understand what’s causing your pain and what to do about it. Whether it’s vestibulodynia, HMV, or hormonal imbalance—we give you evidence-based insights and language to advocate for your care.


Be the first to access personalized, clinically-informed support for vulvar and pelvic pain.
You deserve answers. You deserve care that actually helps. And VULVAi is here to deliver it.