Patients with chronic pelvic pain and/or infertility: psychological differences pre- and post-treatment

This study investigated the psychological differences between gynecological clinic attenders with either pelvic pain or infertility, or with both pelvic pain and infertility both before and after laparoscopic investigation with concurrent treatment. Given the differing meaning attached to the procedure by these groups, it was hypothesized that infertility patients would be more anxious but with less evidence of psychopathology in comparison with the pain group prior to laparoscopic surgery. Postsurgery and in the short term, pain reduction was expected to be associated with decreased pathology for the pain group. Contrary to the hypotheses, pain patients obtained higher anxiety scores in comparison with the infertility group both pretreatment as well as post-treatment. The latter group's scores were comparable to normative data. Other results were generally in line with the hypotheses, pain reduction for both pain groups being associated with a reduction in psychopathology. Patients with pain plus infertility resembled pain patients at pretreatment, while at post-treatment, they bore a closer resemblance to infertility patients in their psychological profile. This was despite the fact that for both pain groups, pain relief was similar. This reinforces the notion that in the patient groups studied anxiety is associated with pain rather than with infertility.