FUNCTIONAL BOWEL DISORDERS IN WOMEN WITH DYSMENORRHEA

Objectives: The relationship between menstrual and bowel symptoms, the overlap between the diagnoses of dysmenorrhea (DYS) and functional bo wel disorder (FBD), and markers that may be useful in discriminating f unctional bowel disorders from DYS were studied in 383 women (20-40 yr of age). Methods: All women completed the NEO Personality Inventory a t intake and completed the Moos' Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and a bowel symptom inventory every 3 months for 12 months. Prostaglandin levels were measured in vaginal dialysate on the first day of menses. Results: DYS was diagnosed in 19.8% of the total sample. Functional bo wel disorder, defined as abdominal pain with altered bowel function, w as diagnosed in 61% of the DYS group compared with 20% of controls (p < 0.05). Neuroticism scores were significantly higher in subjects with functional bowel disorder with or without DYS. However, bowel symptom s were significantly correlated with menstrual symptoms even after sta tistically controlling for the effects of neuroticism. Painful menses and water retention distinguished the DYS group from the functional bo wel disorder group. Prostaglandin levels were elevated in women with D YS, but did not consistently differentiate the diagnostic groups. Conc lusions: The strong covariation of menstrual and bowel symptoms, along with the overlap in diagnoses of DYS and function bowel disorder, sug gest a common physiological basis.