A psychosocial approach to female genital pain

Nat Rev Urol. 2018 Jan;15(1):25-41. doi: 10.1038/nrurol.2017.187. Epub 2017 Nov 28.

Abstract

Genital pain is a prevalent, complex, and disabling health concern in women. Efforts to study this chronic pain condition have been complicated by the fact that genital pain is heterogeneous and exists at the intersection of different biopsychosocial disciplines. Thus, organization of theoretical ideas and empirical findings across research areas is required to improve our understanding of how biopsychosocial factors affect the development and maintenance of the pain, the reporting of symptoms, and the choice of treatment. In the past, the study of physical markers has received the most research attention; an assimilation of the psychosocial variables underlying genital pain is, therefore, particularly needed to inform the field about the rapidly growing literature and stimulate interdisciplinary work. Current research lacks specificity, fails to capture the unique features of different pain conditions, and yields conflicting evidence, which makes it difficult to draw uniform conclusions. Although considerable advances have been made, confusion remains at the nosological, aetiological, theoretical, methodological, and treatment levels. This lack of consensus has important theoretical and clinical implications because inconsistent criteria and empirical disagreement can lead to misdiagnoses and interfere with the development of sound theoretical models and effective treatments to manage female genital pain and its physical and psychological sequelae.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anesthetics, Local
  • Biomedical Research
  • Chronic Pain / diagnosis
  • Chronic Pain / psychology*
  • Chronic Pain / therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Diagnostic Errors
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Female
  • Genital Diseases, Female / diagnosis
  • Genital Diseases, Female / psychology*
  • Genital Diseases, Female / therapy
  • Humans
  • Mindfulness
  • Models, Psychological
  • Pain Measurement
  • Pelvic Pain / diagnosis
  • Pelvic Pain / psychology*
  • Pelvic Pain / therapy
  • Psychological Theory
  • Sexual Partners

Substances

  • Anesthetics, Local