Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is marked by bloating, pain, constipation and diarrhoea, often goes unrecognized and untreated, in women with chronic pelvic pain. This is of concern to the authors of the report who point out that treatment of IBS may relieve the overall abdominal pain experienced by these women. Researchers from the University of North Carolina suggest that chronic pelvic pain is a syndrome loosely defined by a long duration of pain in the pelvis. It affects 12 per cent to 25 per cent of women at any point in time and 33 per cent to 39 per cent of women during their lifetime. Roughly one third of women with chronic pelvic pain have IBS. The investigators surveyed 987 new patients attending a chronic pelvic pain clinic over about a 7-year period. They report that 35 per cent of the women met standard criteria for IBS, yet 40 per cent did not receive a diagnosis of IBS from the physician. Furthermore, IBS treatments were not recommended to 67 per cent of women with IBS. The findings suggest that if IBS is recognized and treated by physicians then pelvic pain can also be reduced.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
March 2005