title: Intravaginal electrical stimulation for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of intravaginal electrical stimulation in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between May 2002 and February 2004, 24 women with CPP with no apparent cause were evaluated. They underwent 10 sessions of intravaginal electrical stimulation. A program for measuring chronic diffuse pain, with a frequency of 8 Hz, variation in intensity and frequency, pulse length of 1 msec, and adjustment to the bearable intensity of each individual patient (in milliamps) was utilized. Treatment consisted of 30-minute applications, 2 or 3 times per week, and the pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale before and after each session and immediately after completion of the total treatment. The women were asked to evaluate the pain 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 7 months following the end of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intravaginal electrical stimulation was effective in alleviating pain in women with CPP, as evaluated at the end of treatment and 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 7 months after completion of treatment (p<0.05). There were significantly fewer complaints of dyspareunia following treatment (p = 0.0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravaginal electrical stimulation is effective in the alleviation of pain in women with CPP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Bernardes
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bahamondes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014621:Vagina