Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether the characteristics of systemic pain perception and anxiety differ between women with vulvar vestibulitis and healthy women. Design Case control study.Setting Tertiary care hospital.Population Forty-four women with vulvar vestibulitis and 41 healthy women participated in the study.Methods First, the women's state and trait anxiety was evaluated. Thereafter, heat pain stimuli were applied to the women's forearm and the pain and unpleasantness thresholds, as well as magnitude estimation of perceived intensity and unpleasantness of suprathreshold stimuli, were assessed. Finally, blood pressure was measured before, during and after a heat stimulus of 46jC.