Chronic pelvic pain in Spanish women: prevalence and associated risk factors. A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) symptoms and associated risk factors in Spanish women.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: in Malaga and its province in Spain.

Population: women aged 18-65 years using non-probability sampling by quotas (n = 940), stratified by age and county.

Materials and methods: All the participants completed the CPPQ-Mohedo, a self-administered validated questionnaire able to discriminate between patients with and without CPP.

Results: Taking a CPPQ-Mohedo score of > or = 6 as an indication of CPP symptoms, the prevalence of CPP symptoms was 26.8% in the general population in women aged 18-65 years. After adjustment for age, those women who exercised had a lower CPPQ-Mohedo score than those who did not exercise (mean difference -3.02 +/- 4.27). Higher (worse) scores were associated with the following factors: lifting and/or moving heavy loads during activities of daily living (3.57 +/- 4.51), laxatives and/or a high-fiber diet (4.71 +/- 5.07), history of recurrent urogenital infection (vulvovaginitis, cystitis; 4.40 +/- 5.22), pelvic trauma (4.77 +/- 4.55), irritable bowel (5.10 +/- 5.50), anal fissure (7.46 +/- 6.50) or uterine prolapse (13.66 +/- 2.36).

Conclusions: The prevalence of CPP symptoms in Spanish women is high and is associated with risk factors that should be addressed by multidisciplinary preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. More prevalence studies are needed to determine the true situation concerning chronic pelvic pain in Spain.