Psychosocial and sexual functioning in women with vulvodynia and chronic pelvic pain - A comparative evaluation

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether women with vulvodynia differ from women wit h chronic pelvic pain and normal controls in their psychological functionin g, somatic preoccupation, pain experience and sexual functioning. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, self-report study of women presenting to Uni versity of Michigan specialty and general clinics for the treatment of vulv odynia or chronic pelvic pain or seeking a routine gynecologic examination. All subjects completed questionnaires assessing demographic characteristic s, pain, depressive symptoms, general affective state, marital adjustment, functional activity, somatic complaints, exposures, and medical and sexual history. Univariate analyses, chi(2) tests, analyses of variance and logist ic regression were used to assess associations between these variables and the diagnostic category. RESULTS: Women with vulvodynia (n = 31) were similar to asymptomatic contro l women (n = 23) in demographic characteristics, sexual relationship variab les, sexual behaviors, current and past depression, somatic sensitivity, an d history of sexual or physical abuse. Women with chronic pelvic pain (n = 18) were younger and less educated than the other two groups and were more likely to have a history of physical and sexual abuse, to report recent dep ression and to screen positive for current depression, to have more work ab sences and to have more somatic complaints. CONCLUSION: Women with vulvodynia are psychologically similar to control wo men but differ significantly from women with chronic pelvic pain. A primary psychological cause of vulvodynia is not supported.