title: High prevalence of chronic pelvic pain in women in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil and direct association with abdominal surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic pelvic pain is a disease that directly affects the social and professional lives of women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of this clinical condition and to identify independent factors associated with it in women living in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  A one-year cross-sectional study was conducted in a population sample of 1,278 women over the age of 1,278 women over the age of 14 years. The target population was predominantly composed of women who are treated by the public health system. The questionnaire was administered by interviewers who were not linked to the city health care programs. The prevalence of the morbidity was estimated. First, we identified the significant variables associated with pelvic pain (p<0.10) and then we attributed values of 0 or 1 to the absence or presence of these variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify and estimate the simultaneous impact of the independent variables. The results were expressed by odds ratio and their 95% confidence interval with p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The disease was found in 11.5% (147/1,278) of the sample. The independent predictors were dyspareunia, previous abdominal surgery, depression, dysmenorrhea, anxiety, current sexual activity, low back pain, constipation, urinary symptoms, and low educational level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of chronic pelvic pain in Ribeirão Preto is high and is associated with conditions that can usually be prevented, controlled, or resolved by improvement of public health policies and public education.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital das Clínicas, Medical School From Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriela Pagano de Oliveira Goncalves da
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Anderson Luís do
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Michelazzo
authors.forename: Fernando Filardi
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Alves Junior
authors.forename: Marcelo Gondim
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Júlio César Rosa E
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Francisco José Candido Dos
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Antonio Alberto
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Omero Benedicto
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Poli Neto
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors