Incorporating reproductive health into holistic chronic pain management: bridging a critical gap

Not only is chronic pain more prevalent in women but also the intersection between chronic pain and reproductive health adds complexity in pain management strategies and care plan development. Despite this, it remains unclear whether reproductive health is being discussed in the context of chronic pain care.

The objective of this brief report was to explore the extent to which reproductive health is being addressed as a component of female chronic pain care and to identify the educational needs of women of childbearing age living with chronic pain.

Women aged 18 to 50 years who attended a tertiary care chronic pain clinic were asked to complete a survey that investigated reproductive knowledge and discussions with a care provider.

A total of 51 participants (mean age of 33 ± 7 years) responded. More than 76% of participants had indicated that they had never discussed family planning, fertility, or pregnancy in relation to chronic pain with a health care provider. More than half of participants reported that they only "somewhat" understood the reproductive safety of their medications. Participants were interested in learning about medication and pregnancy, the impact of pain on pregnancy, the impact of pregnancy on chronic pain, and sexual health.

The results from this survey raise the need to integrate reproductive health into comprehensive pain management and provide patients with information to make informed decisions around their pain care and reproductive choices.