title: Attributes and barriers to care of pelvic pain in university women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe rates of pelvic pain in university women ages 18 and older and to explore the barriers to adequate health care for pelvic pain in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).
  
  
  METHODS
  University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2000 female students at the University of Florida were randomly selected for participation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 2000 sample members were sent a questionnaire to be completed online.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The online questionnaire was hosted through the REDCap electronic data capture tool hosted at the University of Florida. This questionnaire included demographic items, general health and health behavior questions, measures to assess different types of pelvic pain (e.g., dysmenorrheal; dyspareunia; urinary, bowel, and vulvar pain), items regarding barriers to care for pelvic pain problems, and quality of life measures. Data were exported to SAS software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) for analysis. Of the 2000 subjects who received the questionnaire invitation, 390 filled out the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 19.5%. Respondents' ages ranged from 18 to 62 with a mean of 23 years. A total of 72.8% of respondents reported experiencing pelvic pain over the past 12 months. Dysmenorrhea was reported by nearly 80% of participants, over one third of participants noted deep dyspareunia, and a significant proportion of participants reported symptoms related to bowel movements. Vulvar symptoms, including superficial dyspareunia, were reported by 21.5% of participants. Most participants with pelvic pain (78.8%) have not received any diagnosis for their pain, whereas 73.6% reported not yet having visited a doctor. Significant barriers to receiving adequate medical care were reported, including difficulty with insurance coverage and physicians' lack of time and knowledge or interest in chronic pelvic pain conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pelvic pain in younger women is a critical public health issue experienced by a significant portion of the population. Significant awareness deficits and barriers to care exist. Careful study of the barriers to receiving adequate medical care reported by these women will allow researchers to describe how best to improve care for these syndromes.
authors: College of Public Health and Health Professions. Electronic address: julie.m.mann@gmail.com.
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Mann
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Shuster
authors: Nash
authors: N
authors: Moawad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities
keywords: Barriers to care; Dyspareunia; Gynecology; Pelvic pain; University women
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