Chronic Pelvic Pain in Endometriosis: Cross-Sectional Associations with Mental Disorders, Sexual Dysfunctions and Childhood Maltreatment
Open accessAbstract
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare the rates of mental disorders, sexual dysfunctions and childhood maltreatment (CM) in women with endometriosis with either chronic pelvic pain (CPP) or minimal to no pelvic pain. Additionally, two models to predict a current mental disorder were tested, including pelvic-pain-related or psychosocial predictor variables. We examined 100 women with confirmed endometriosis (group CPP, n = 50; group NOPAIN, n = 50). Participants responded to a comprehensive questionnaire and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The Diagnostic Interview for Mental Disorders was used to assess mental disorders according to DSM-5 and to screen for sexual dysfunctions. The mean age was 28.8 ± 5.6 (CPP)/2.7 ± 6.3 (NOPAIN). Participants with CPP had higher rates of current mental disorders (p = 0.019), lifetime mental disorders (p = 0.006) and sexual dysfunctions (p < 0.001), but not CM (p = 0.074). In two binary-logistic regression analyses, a greater need for pain relief (aOR = 4.08, p = 0.026) and a sexual dysfunction (aOR = 2.69, p = 0.031) were significant predictors for a current mental disorder. Our findings confirmed the crucial role of pelvic pain for mental and sexual well-being in endometriosis. They highlight the need for pain relief and interdisciplinary care in the treatment of endometriosis.
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In a study by Netzl et al., among endometriosis patients reporting severe gynaecological pain, the prevalence of reported traumatic events was 49%, versus 32% in the comparison group with none or little pain; the difference was not statistically significant.
“In the first group, the investigators found a prevalence of 49% for reported traumatic events (as opposed to 32% in the comparison group). However, the difference was not statistically significant [10].”
From Endometriosis: patient–doctor communication and psychological counselling (2023) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- Netzl, J., Gusy, B., Voigt, B., Sehouli, J., & Mechsner, S.
- Affiliations
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Mechsner, Sylvia
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-06-27
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 3714
- ISSN
- 2077-0383 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9267229
- OpenAlex
- W4283655903
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 3.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Universitätsbibliothek der FU Berlin Hochschulschriftenstelle u. Dokumentenserver (cc-by)
- Funders
- Open Access Publication Fund of Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German Research Foundation (DFG)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Endometriosis Research and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Keywords
- endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, mental illness, sexual dysfunction, child abuse, psychosocial predictors, women's health, multidisciplinary care
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