Chronic Pain Risk Associated With Menstrual Period Pain

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if some women with dysmenorrhea (painful periods) are at higher future risk of developing chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and if oral contraceptives (OC) can be used to reverse this chronic pain risk. Investigators will examine whether dysmenorrhea produces CPP via repetitive cross organ sensitization (COS) episodes. The use of cyclical OCs to eliminate dysmenorrhea is expected to reduce COS and decrease the risk of developing CPP.

Timeline

Start

2014-07

Primary completion

2020-11

Completion

2021-01

Publications

• Background Tu FF, Epstein AE, Pozolo KE, Sexton DL, Melnyk AI, Hellman KM. A noninvasive bladder sensory test supports a role for dysmenorrhea increasing bladder noxious mechanosensitivity. Clin J Pain. 2013 Oct;29(10):883-90. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31827a71a3.
• Background Tu FF, Fitzgerald CM, Kuiken T, Farrell T, Norman Harden R. Vaginal pressure-pain thresholds: initial validation and reliability assessment in healthy women. Clin J Pain. 2008 Jan;24(1):45-50. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e318156db13.
• Background Zondervan KT, Yudkin PL, Vessey MP, Jenkinson CP, Dawes MG, Barlow DH, Kennedy SH. Chronic pelvic pain in the community--symptoms, investigations, and diagnoses. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2001 May;184(6):1149-55. doi: 10.1067/mob.2001.112904.
• Background Westling AM, Tu FF, Griffith JW, Hellman KM. The association of dysmenorrhea with noncyclic pelvic pain accounting for psychological factors. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Nov;209(5):422.e1-422.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2013.08.020. Epub 2013 Aug 22.
• Background Brotzner CP, Klimesch W, Doppelmayr M, Zauner A, Kerschbaum HH. Resting state alpha frequency is associated with menstrual cycle phase, estradiol and use of oral contraceptives. Brain Res. 2014 Aug 19;1577(100):36-44. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.06.034. Epub 2014 Jul 7.
• Kmiecik MJ, Tu FF, Clauw DJ, Hellman KM. Multimodal hypersensitivity derived from quantitative sensory testing predicts pelvic pain outcome: an observational cohort study. Pain. 2023 Sep 1;164(9):2070-2083. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002909. Epub 2023 Apr 27.

Drugs

Indications