A comparative study of women with chronic pelvic pain, chronic nonpelvic pain and those with no history of pain attending general practitioners

Abstract

Objective To investigate and compare the demographic and psychosocial profiles of women with chronic pelvic pain, chronic pain in a different site, and those with no history of pain with specific reference to a history of sexual abuse.Design A prospective comparative study.Setting Pelvic Pain Clinic at Leicester General Hospital NHS Trust, Pain Management Clinic at LeicesterRoyal Infirmary NHS Trust and two General Practices.Participants Thirty women with chronic pelvic pain, 30 women with chronic pain in a different site and 30 women attending their general practitioner with no history of pain.Interventions A specifically designed patient profile questionnaire to identify and explore incidents of sexual and physical abuse was administered to each woman by a research psychologist for confidential self-completion. Data were also collected on other demographic, medical and psychosocial characteristics.Results Women with chronic pelvic pain were found to have a higher lifetime prevalence of sexual abuse, involving penetration or other genital contact compared with the two comparison groups. The prevalence of physical abuse was the same in all groups. Women in the pelvic pain group were more likely to have approached their GP for symptoms not related to pelvic pain than women in the other two groups and the incidence of clinical anxiety was significantly higher in this group compared with the pain-free group. The prevalence of sexual problems was much higher in the group with pelvic pain compared with the other two groups.Conclusion These findings indicate that women with chronic pelvic pain have a higher incidence of past sexual abuse compared with women in a comparison pain group and with women with no pain.

Violência sexual: procedimentos indicados e seus resultados no atendimento de urgência de mulheres vítimas de estupro

“…Apesar de que a síndrome de estresse pós-traumático e a síndrome do trauma do estupro são relativamente pouco freqüentes, outras seqüelas psicológicas se observam com muita freqüência e podem expressar-se de muitas formas: cefaléia crônica, fadiga, transtornos do sono, pesadelos e transtornos da apetite [60][61][62] . Vários estudos têm mostrado, ainda, que mulheres com história de violência sexual têm maior incidência de alterações menstruais, dor pélvica crônica, dispareunia e disfunções sexuais que aquelas que nunca sofreram esse tipo de violência 10,31,[63][64][65][66] .…”

The role of psychiatric disorders in fibromyalgia

“…Several studies have shown an association between unexplained medical problems including pelvic pain [60,61], gastrointestinal disorders [62], general medical problems [63], and prior sexual abuse. Three reports of childhood abuse in women with FM found a high prevalence of lifetime sexual abuse ranging from 17% to 65% [64][65][66].…”

Therapeutic effects of antidepressants and Kampo medicines on chronic pelvic pain in women

“…Previous clinical studies have reported that chronic pain disorder may cause depression and markedly worsen the quality of life of the patient [9]. In addition, women with chronic pelvic pain could have a higher incidence of sexual abuse than women without the pain [10,11]. Taken together, the present investigation further implies that a suitable pharmacological therapy accompanying a psychological one-if necessary-could be crucial to treating chronic pelvic pain effectively.…”