Objective: Our purpose was to determine the prevalence of sexual abuse during childhood and adulthood and its association with pelvic and other pain complaints in a population of reproductive-aged women.
Study design: A 10-page questionnaire was administered to 581 nonpregnant women aged 18 to 45 years examined in primary care offices.
Results: The reported incidences of childhood and adult sexual abuse were 26% and 28%. In regression analyses, with the exception of irritable bowel syndrome, women with only a history of childhood sexual abuse and no abuse later in life are not more likely than nonabused women to report pain syndromes. By contrast, with the exception of dysmenorrhea, all pain complaints studied were more common in women reporting abuse both as children and as adults.
Conclusions: Sexual abuse that occurs during childhood and again as an adult is strongly associated with pelvic pain complaints.