Clinical course of chronic pelvic pain in women

A follow-up study on a cohort of women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) was conducted, to evaluate the clinical course and to identify factors associated with outcome. Participants were over 18 years of age and had initially visited a multidisciplinary CPP-team of a Gynaecological Department of a University Hospital. The course of chronic pelvic pain was evaluated using the Life Chart Interview (LCI) method. All participants completed questionnaires covering demographic and clinical characteristics, pain (McGill) and psychological distress (SCL-90) at baseline and follow up. The response rate was 60%. A survival analysis was conducted. After a mean follow-up period of 3.4 years, 18 women (25%) of the study sample (N = 72) reported recovery from pelvic pain (i.e. pelvic pain for less than 3 months per year). Eight of these 18 women (11% of the total sample) reported no pain at all at follow up. Relapse of symptoms was not encountered. Not any demographic, clinical or pain related variable measured at baseline, nor any intervention between baseline and follow up, was associated with outcome. Our results indicate that chronic pelvic pain in women in secondary care is a longstanding condition. Further research is recommended to identify risk factors for persistence of symptoms.