Using language to identify a bladder pain component in women with Dysmenorrhoea‐Related Pelvic Pain: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundDysmenorrhoea‐Related Pelvic Pain (DRPP) is a common condition, which may or may not include bladder‐related symptoms. Primary health care practitioners (PHCP) rely heavily on language for diagnosis of DRPP‐related conditions. However, there are no established pain descriptors to assist PHCP to determine whether an individual's DRPP may include a bladder component.AimsTo identify differences in the use of pain descriptors in women with DRPP with and without a co‐existing bladder pain component, through an exploratory study of the language of pelvic pain in women.Materials and MethodsA cross‐sectional online survey of Australian and New Zealand women (n = 750, ages 18–49) who have self‐identified pelvic pain. Free text and predetermined pain descriptors used by women with a self‐perceived bladder pain component (DRPPB+, n = 468) were compared to those without bladder pain (DRPPB−, n = 282). Statistical analysis included Pearson χ2, logistic regression and analysis of variance tests using StataCorp Stata Statistical Software combined with qualitative data from AntConc concordance software.ResultsWithin free‐form text, bloating (P = 0.014) and pressure (P = 0.031) were used more commonly to describe dysmenorrhoea in women with DRPPB+, while the word excruciating (P < 0.001) was more commonly used by women with DRPPB−. From a pre‐determined list of descriptors, pounding (P < 0.001), tingling (P < 0.001), stabbing (P = 0.010), burning (P = 0.002) and cramping (P = 0.021) were more commonly used by women with DRPPB+, than women with DRPPB−.ConclusionsSystematic patterns of word use should encourage practitioners to further enquire about bladder symptoms that may co‐exist with dysmenorrhoea. Knowledge of these words may be useful in targeting diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.