Chronic vulvar and other gynecologic pain: prevalence and characteristics in a self-reported survey.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize and assess the prevalence of chronic gynecologic pain and, more specifically, chronic vulvar pain.


METHODS
A questionnaire was mailed to women aged 18-80 years who were ambulatory patients at an academic multidisciplinary practice. Quality of life, health history, obstetric and gynecologic history, and pain symptoms were assessed.


RESULTS
Of the 4,872 surveys mailed to deliverable addresses, 36.8% were returned. The population was primarily Caucasian (83%), with an average age of 50.2 years. Approximately 4% of respondents reported a history of vulvar pain in the 6 months preceding the survey, and 17% reported other types of chronic gynecologic pain. Women reporting vulvar and nonvulvar pain were 2 times as likely as asymptomatic women to report a history of depression and vaginal infections, a poorer quality of life (p < 0.001) and greater stress. Dyspareunia and pain with daily activities were reported more frequently by women with vulvar pain than by women with non-vulvar gynecologic pain.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of vulvar pain in this study was lower than previously reported. Chronic gynecologic pain, and vulvar pain in particular, affects quality of life on both intimate and social levels. Self-reported stress and vaginal infections were the strongest correlates of chronic vulvar pain.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA. gloria.bachmann@umdnj.edu
Gloria A
GA
Bachmann
Raymond
R
Rosen
Lauren Denise
LD
Arnold
Irina
I
Burd
George G
GG
Rhoads
Sandra R
SR
Leiblum
Nancy
N
Avis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014845:Vulvar Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016387:Women's Health