To quantify the variation, triggers and impact on quality of life of symptom flares in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP).
Cross-sectional questionnaire within the Translational Research in Pelvic Pain clinical cohort study.
Women with CPP, with subgroups of women with endometriosis (EAP), interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (BPS), comorbid endometriosis and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (EABP), and those with pelvic pain without endometriosis or interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (PP).
A total of 100 participants.
Descriptive and comparative analysis from flares questionnaire.
The prevalence, characteristics and triggers of short, medium and long symptom flares in CPP.
We received 100 responses of 104 questionnaires sent. Seventy-six per cent of women with CPP have ever experienced symptom flares of at least one length (short, medium and/or long). Flares are associated with painful and non-painful symptoms. There is large variation for the frequency, duration, symptoms and triggers for flares. Over 60% of participants reported flares as stopping them from doing things they would usually do, >80% reported thinking about symptoms of flares and >80% reported flares being bothersome.
Flares are prevalent and clinically very important in CPP. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms and characteristics underlying flares. Clinical practice should include an enquiry into flares with the aim of finding strategies to lessen their burden.
BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology. 2024 Jul 18 [Epub ahead of print]
Lydia Coxon, Celia Lugt, Andrew W Horne, Emma Evans, Pedro Abreu-Mendes, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Qasim Aziz, Christian M Becker, Judy Birch, Ana Charrua, Lysia Demetriou, Joana Ferreira-Gomes, Anja Hoffman, Lone Hummelshoj, Michal Krassowski, Claire E Lunde, Jane Meijlink, Stacey A Missmer, Danielle Perro, Krina T Zondervan, Christine B Sieberg, Francisco Cruz, Jens Nagel, Katy Vincent
Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK., Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK., IBMC/I3S, Faculty of Medicine of Porto, Hospital S João, Porto, Portugal., Department of Health Science and Technology, Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), SMI, School of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark., Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK., Pelvic Pain Support Network, Poole, UK., Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals Experimental Medicine, Bayer AG, Berlin, Germany., Endometriosis.org, London, UK., Biobehavioral Pain Innovations Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA., International Painful Bladder Foundation, Naarden, the Netherlands., Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA., Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA., Exploratory Pathobiology, Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, Wuppertal, Germany.