History of physical and sexual abuse in women with chronic pelvic pain

Article Abstract:

An association between chronic pelvic pain or other physical complaints and a history of sexual abuse has been suggested. In most cases of chronic pain, an underlying disease causing the pain cannot be found. Some investigators have suggested that women who experience chronic pelvic pain tend to have feelings of guilt, repressed anger, emotional conflicts and unfulfilled masochistic needs. There is little information on the relationship between chronic pelvic pain and nonsexual physical abuse or other (nonpelvic) pain and sexual abuse. It is therefore not clear whether there is a specific relationship between sexual abuse and pelvic pain, or whether the association is more general, namely between abuse and chronic pain. The connection between physical and sexual abuse in women with disabling chronic pelvic pain for at least six months is reported. Thirty-one women with chronic pelvic pain and 142 women with chronic pain in other locations were compared with 32 pain-free women. Physical abuse in childhood was reported by 12 women (39 percent) complaining of chronic pelvic pain, 26 women (18.4 percent) complaining of other chronic pain and 3 women (9.4 percent) in the comparison group. The rates of childhood sexual abuse were similar in all three groups (19.4, 16.3 and 12.5 percent respectively). There were fewer reports of chronic pelvic pain and other chronic pain related to sexual and physical abuse events in adulthood. It is concluded that physical abuse in childhood was more common in women complaining of chronic pelvic pain than in women complaining of pain in other locations or women with no pain at all. A detailed history of physical and sexual abuse should be taken when assessing women complaining of chronic pain. Although pelvic pain may not be related directly to sexual abuse, the overall deleterious psychological effects of abuse may contribute to the persistence of pain. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Abused children, Child sexual abuse, Intractable pain, Pelvic pain

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Mood and cognitive style in premenstrual syndrome

Article Abstract:

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disorder characterized by physical and psychological symptoms that begin two weeks before the onset of menstruation. Psychological symptoms associated with PMS include depression, irritability, confusion and lethargy. Other mood disorders have been associated with changes in cognitive functioning, such as impaired comprehension, judgement, memory and reasoning. Many women who have PMS may have a coinciding diagnosis of an affective disorder, such as depression. It is not clear whether the psychological symptoms associated with PMS are mediated by cognitive changes or are caused directly by PMS pathology itself. To see if cognitive changes are present during PMS, psychological testing, memory recall tests and other measures of cognitive performance were measured in 10 women with PMS and 9 women without PMS. Cognitive processing and performance were measured during the follicular phase, the period during the growth of the follicle (after menstruation and before ovulation), and the luteal phase, the period between ovulation and menstruation (premenstrual). Although the symptoms of depression in PMS patients and patients with affective disorder are similar, the patterns of information processing and cognitive performance characteristic of women who have depression were not present in women with PMS. However, there was no difference in cognitive functioning between the PMS patients and the normal subjects. Therefore, it is unlikely that altered cognitive states are responsible for depression in PMS patients. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Testing, Physiological aspects, Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Cognition, Cognitive tests

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Diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome by a simple, prospective, and reliable instrument: the calendar of premenstrual experiences

Article Abstract:

The symptoms associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) have not been accurately quantified. A questionnaire has been used to diagnose PMS, but patients often lack sufficient recall when asked about their symptoms. A prospective calendar of premenstrual experiences was developed on the basis of interviews held with 170 women with PMS during the three years preceding the study. The calendar was used in this study to identify PMS patients. Two phases in the menstrual cycle, the follicular phase and the luteal phase, were studied. The reliability and validity of the calendar was assessed over two consecutive ovulatory cycles. The final study group included 36 rigidly screened women with PMS and the control group had 18 women. The results demonstrated that the luteal phase scores from the calendar of premenstrual experiences distinguished PMS women from controls correctly in 104 of 108 cycles. Differences between the patients and the controls were compared and validated by statistical analysis. Symptom changes over the course of the menstrual cycle were studied, and PMS patients could reliably be discriminated from controls. The calendar of premenstrual experiences is a valid, reliable, and practical tool for the diagnosis of PMS and it may be used in both clinical and research settings. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Innovations, Diagnosis, Measurement, Biological rhythms, Biorhythms, Calendars

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