Frequency of presentation and characteristics of chronic pelvic pain at the gynecologic consultation

Background: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a condition characterized by recurring pain in the lower part of the abdomen and it lasts at least six months. Objective: To know the frequency and characteristics of CPP in women from the gynecology consultation. Methods: Women that consecutively attended the gynecology external consultation were questioned about the presence of CPP. Those with CPP were requested to indicate the place where the pain was more intense, and to qualify its magnitude in an analog visual scale. Situations that modified the pain, as well as the medication used were investigated. The life disturbance was evaluated. Those patients with and without CPP were paired by age and compared with Student’s t test for independent samples. Results: 711 women were studied, 132 (18.6%) fulfilled criteria for CPP. After comparing patients with and without CPP there were no significant differences between them. The maximum intensity of the pain was of 7.7 ± 1.7 and the most frequent localization was in hypogastrium (53.2%). The factor that more frequently alleviated the pain was to stay in bed (59.5%). Non-steroid anti-inflammatories were the most common medication (56.3%). The most frequent reason for consultation was hypermenorrhea (19.9%) and the most frequent diagnosis was uterine leiomyomatosis (15.1%). Conclusion: The frequency of CPP was similar to that reported by other groups.