Articles

Year 2023, Volume 52, Issue 3

Chronic pelvic pain and depression in women with endometriosis. A complex pairing

Nieto-Bartolomé S, De la Cueva-Reguera M, Díaz-Ceballos I, Rodriguez-Sanz D.

Abstract

Background: endometriosis affects 5-10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The aim was to evaluate chronic pelvic pain (CPP), its functional repercussion and depression in women with endometriosis contacted through the Endometriosis Sufferers Associations of Euskadi, Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and Extremadura between October 2019 and February 2021. Material and method: the study was analytical and cross-sectional. The CPP questionnaire in women (CPPQ-Mohedo) and the Beck depression inventory (BDI-II) were applied in women with and without a diagnosis of endometriosis. The study included 214 women aged 18-52 years, 136 with a diagnosis of endometriosis, 74 with surgical treatment (ETQ), 62 without surgery (ESTQ) and 78 as a control group (CG). Results: the age was 31.6 ± 7.7 and 36.7 ± 5.8 years in the control and endometriosis groups respectively. 61.3 % ESTQ and 63.5 % ETQ had perineal pain, 82.3 % ESTQ and 86.5 % ETQ manifested subumbilical pain. Vulvar and clitoral pain was less than 30 % and 20 % in ESTQ and ETQ women, respectively. Dyspareunia was reported in 78.8 % and 66.7 % of ESTQ and ETQ women, respectively. In women with endometriosis, pain on the VAS scale was moderate (4.0), the total CPP score was intermediate (13.5). The 84.6 % presented moderate-severe depression and perceived their health as «dreadful» (> 30 %) with impairment in their activities. Conclusion: CPP has an impact on physical and psychological well-being in women with endometriosis in Spain.

Keywords: endometriosis, pelvic pain, depression, dyspareunia.