{"paper_id":"126f460d-48fc-4507-bfe0-275851c33dab","body_text":"Abstract\nEstablishing objective criteria to assess endometriosis symptoms is crucial in defining therapeutic strategies. The visual analogue scale (VAS) is the most used system to enhance the accuracy and reduce the subjectivity of pain assessment, and symptoms of endometriosis are considered severe when the VAS score is ≥ 7 cm. Pain symptoms can significantly impact patients’ quality of life, resulting in psychological and social distress. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a VAS cut-off point of 7 cm for each pain symptom correlates with a diminished quality of life in women with endometriosis. This retrospective study included 1129 patients who underwent surgical treatment for endometriosis. Dysmenorrhea, acyclic pelvic pain, deep dyspareunia, dyschezia, and dysuria were assessed using a 0–10 cm VAS. The Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire was employed to evaluate the quality of life 6 months prior to surgery. Dysmenorrhea was the most prevalent symptom reported in 93.6% of cases, with a mean VAS of 7.6 cm. The quality of life reported was reduced in most patients, with domain scores ranging from 49.4 to 80.1. The mean SF-36 scores in all domains were significantly lower in patients with severe pain (VAS score ≥ 7 cm) compared to those with mild to moderate pain (VAS < 7 cm). This trend was observed across all evaluated pain symptoms. Our research demonstrates that the prevalent VAS cut-off point for establishing severe pain symptoms in endometriosis (VAS ≥ 7 cm) accurately represents the negative impact of the disease on women’s quality of life, as assessed via the SF-36 questionnaire.\nSimilar content being viewed by others\nData Availability\nThe data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, MSA, upon request.\nCode Availability\nNot applicable.\nReferences\nArcoverde FVL, Andres MP, Borrelli GM, Barbosa PA, Abrão MS, Kho RM. Surgery for endometriosis improves major domains of quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2019;26(2):266–78.\nBourdel N, Alves J, Pickering G, Ramilo I, Roman H, Canis M. Systematic review of endometriosis pain assessment: how to choose a scale? Hum Reprod Update. 2015;21(1):136–52.\nAlfonsin MM, Chapon R, de Souza CAB, Genro VK, Mattia MMC, Cunha-Filho JS. 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J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2020;27(4):883–91.\nAuthor information\nAuthors and Affiliations\nContributions\nAll authors have contributed significantly towards the manuscript completion.\nCorresponding author\nEthics declarations\nEthics Approval\nThe study received approval from the Internal Review Board (IRB) of the Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa of São Paulo (approval number 3.148.286/2019).\nConsent to Participate\nAll patients included in this study have signed an informed consent form.\nConsent for Publication\nAll authors have given consent for publication.\nConflict of Interest\nThe authors declare no competing interests.\nAdditional information\nPublisher's Note\nSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.\nSupplementary Information\nBelow is the link to the electronic supplementary material.\nRights and permissions\nSpringer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.\nAbout this article\nCite this article\nAndres, M.P., Riccio, L.G.C., Abrao, H.M. et al. Visual Analogue Scale Cut-off Point of Seven Represents Poor Quality of Life in Patients with Endometriosis. Reprod. Sci. 31, 1146–1150 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01406-6\nReceived:\nAccepted:\nPublished:\nVersion of record:\nIssue date:\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01406-6","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}