Is pelvic pain associated with defecatory symptoms in women with pelvic organ prolapse?

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of pelvic pain and its association with defecatory symptoms in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross sectional study of 248 women with stage II POP or greater. Women were stratified into "pain" and "no-pain" groups based on their response to a question on the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory short form. Associations between patient demographics, exam findings and responses to validated questionnaires were evaluated. RESULTS: In women with POP, defecatory symptoms are significantly more common in women with pelvic pain including straining with bowel movement (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3, 4.6), sense of incomplete emptying (OR 4.4, 95% CI 2.3, 8.2), pain with bowel movement (OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.2, 23.0) and splinting with bowel movement (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.0, 7.5). CONCLUSION: In women with POP, the symptom of pelvic pain is associated with the presence of defecatory symptoms.