title: Pelvic Floor and Urinary Distress in Women with Fibromyalgia.
abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) patients were recently found to have more symptom burden from bothersome pelvic pain syndromes that women seeking care for pelvic floor disease at a urogynecology clinic. We sought to further characterize pelvic floor symptoms in a larger sample of FM patients using of validated questionnaires. Female listserv members of the Fibromyalgia Information Foundation completed an online survey of three validated questionnaires: the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory 20 (PFDI-20), the Pelvic Pain, Urgency and Frequency Questionnaire (PUF), and the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR). Scores were characterized using descriptive statistics. Patients (n = 204 with complete data on 177) were on average 52.3 ± 11.4 years with a mean parity of 2.5 ± 1.9. FM severity based on FIQR score (57.2 ± 14.9) positively correlated with PFDI-20 total 159.08 ± 55.2 (r = .34, p < .001) and PUF total 16.54 ± 7 (r = .36, p < .001). Women with FM report significantly bothersome pelvic floor and urinary symptoms. Fibromyalgia management should include evaluation and treatment of pelvic floor disorders recognizing that pelvic distress and urinary symptoms are associated with more severe FM symptoms. Validated questionnaires, like the ones used in this study, are easily incorporated into clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. Electronic address: joneskim@ohsu.edu.
authors.forename: Kim Dupree
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Charlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Mist
authors.affiliation: Aethena Gynecology Associates, Vancouver, Washington.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Department of Urogynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Mary Anna
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Denman
authors.affiliation: Department of Urogynecology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: W Thomas
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Gregory
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D059952:Pelvic Floor Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000150:complications*