Use of intravaginal electrical stimulation for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain: a randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical trial

Nicole Oliveira de Bernardes, Andrea Marques, Andréa Marques, Camila Ganunny, Luis Bahamondes, Luís Bahamondes
The Journal of reproductive medicine · 2010 · vol. 55(1-2) , pp. 19–24 · PMID:20337203 · W43017980
RCT OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 11 in-corpus citations
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This trial found intravaginal electrical stimulation more effective than placebo for reducing chronic pelvic pain in women, as measured by visual analog scale scores.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of intravaginal electrical stimulation (IVES) or placebo in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) with no apparent cause. STUDY DESIGN: A double-blind, crossover, randomized clinical trial in which 26 women were randomly allocated to active (group I, n = 15) or placebo (group II, n = 11) IVES. All women underwent 10 30-minute, twice-weekly sessions. The groups were then crossed over for a further 10 sessions. Pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) before and after each series. RESULTS: At the end of the first series, 5 of 11 women who initiated with the placebo had a VAS pain score > 3 (p = 0.0253); however, when they crossed over to active IVES, only 1 had a VAS pain score > 3 at the end of the series (p = 0.0143). In the 15 women who initiated with active IVES, 2 had a score > 3 at the end of the series (p = 0.0005); however, when they crossed over to the placebo, 3 had a VAS pain score > 3 at the end of treatment (p = 0.0833). After the 2 sessions, 54.6% who initiated with placebo and 80% who initiated with active IVES had a VAS pain score < 3. CONCLUSION: Intravaginal electrical stimulation was more effective than a placebo in alleviating pain in women with CPP.

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Outcome instruments

VAS-pain

Condition tags

chronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Electric Stimulation Therapy Pelvic Pain Adult Chronic Disease Chronic Disease Cross-Over Studies Double-Blind Method Electric Stimulation Therapy Female Humans Middle Aged Pain Measurement Pelvic Pain Treatment Outcome Vagina

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