Chronic pelvic pain in the community - Symptoms, investigations, and diagnoses

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to investigate the overlap between ch ronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, irritable bowel syndrome, and genitourinary symptoms in the community and also to examine associated inv estigations and diagnoses. STUDY DESIGN: A postal questionnaire was used to survey 3916 women aged 18 through 49 randomly selected from the Oxfordshire Health Authority Register . The number of responders was 2304 (74% of 3106 questionnaire recipients). Chronic pelvic pain was described as recurrent or constant pelvic pain of greater than or equal to6 months' duration unrelated to periods, intercours e, or pregnancy. Case patients (n = 483) were subgrouped as follows: (1) ch ronic pelvic pain only, (2) chronic pelvic pain and irritable bowel syndrom e, (3) chronic pelvic pain and genitourinary symptoms, and (4) chronic pelv ic pain, genitourinary symptoms, and irritable bowel syndrome. RESULTS: Half the women with chronic pelvic pain also had either genitourin ary symptoms or irritable bowel syndrome. or both. Prevalences of dysmenorr hea and dyspareunia were higher among women with chronic pelvic pain (81% a nd 41%, respectively) than among women without chronic pelvic pain (58% and 14%, respectively); rates did not differ among the chronic pelvic pain sub groups. Irritable bowel syndrome and stress were the most common diagnoses received by patients with chronic pelvic pain, but 50% had never received a diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial overlap between chronic pelvic pain and o ther abdominal symptoms in the community. Despite a high prevalence of chro nic pelvic pain, many women have never had the condition diagnosed.