Emotional dysregulation in endometriosis women with cyclical and non-cyclical chronic pelvic pain

Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is a pathophysiological condition characterized by glands and stroma outside the uterus in regions such as the bladder, ureter, fallopian tubes, peritoneum, ovaries, and even in extra pelvic sites. One of the main clinical problems of endometriosis is chronic pelvic pain (CPP), which considerably affects the patients’ quality of life. Patients with endometriosis may, cyclically or non-cyclically (80% of cases) experience CPP. High levels of anxiety and depression have been described in patients with endometriosis related to CPP; however, this has not been evaluated in endometriosis women with different types of CPP. Methods: This work aimed to determine if there are differences in emotional dysregulation in patients with cyclical and non-cyclical CPP. 49 women diagnosed with endometriosis presenting cyclical and non-cyclical CPP answered several batteries made up of Mini-Mental State Examination, Visual Analog Scale, Beck´s Depression Inventory, State Trait-Anxiety Inventory, and Generalized Anxiety Inventory. Results: We observed that patients with non-cyclical CPP exhibited higher levels of depression and anxiety (trait-state and generalized anxiety) than patients with cyclical pain. No differences were observed in pain intensity, but there was a higher probability of developing emotional dysregulation (anxiety or depression) in patients with non-cyclical CPP. No differences were observed in cognitive impairment. Conclusions:Our data suggest that patients with non-cyclical CPP present a higher emotional dysregulation than those with cyclical pain.