Chronic pelvic pain and previous sexual abuse

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between history of sexual abuse and development of chronic pelvic pain. Methods: We studied 36 women with chronic pelvic pain, 23 with chronic low back pain, and 20 healthy women with reference to experience of sexual abus e, physical violence, and emotional neglect in childhood. Semistructured in terviews were used to collect data. Assessment of severity of sexual abuse was based on Russell's criteria, and emotional and physical abuse were dete rmined according to Briere's and Adler's definitions, respectively. Results: In terms of experience of sexual abuse in general, the three group s did not differ statistically significantly from each other (P =.128). How ever, 22% of patients with chronic pelvic pain were sexually abused before their 15th birthdays, significantly more frequently than the other two grou ps (chronic low back pain 0%, P =.019, pain-free control 0%, P =.028). Wome n with chronic pelvic pain were exposed more frequently to physical violenc e (38%) and suffered more emotional neglect (25%) in their childhoods than women in the pain-free control group (physical abuse 5%, P =.012; emotional abuse 0%, P =.018). With regard to physical abuse and emotional neglect, t he women with chronic pelvic pain did not differ from those with chronic lo w back pain (physical abuse 30.4%, P =.385; emotional abuse 21.7%, P =.571) . Conclusion: Besides physical and emotional trauma, there is a significant a ssociation between sexual victimization before age 15 years and later chron ic pelvic pain. (Obstet Gynecol 2000;96:929-33. (C) 2000 by The American Co llege of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.).