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Sensory and muscular functions of the pelvic floor in women with endometriosis – cross-sectional study

  • General Gynecology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to analyze the sensory and muscle functions of the pelvic floor in women with endometriosis, trying to improve overall knowledge/findings regarding pelvic floor muscle functions in patients with endometriosis.

Methods

Sample size calculated as 92 patients with endometriosis, aged between 18 and 45 years, not virgin, without other causes of pain and could not be pregnant. Patients underwent the Pelvic Floor Sensorial and Muscle Function Exam (EFSMAP). Descriptive data were recorded with mean and standard deviation, median (range), and absolute and relative frequency. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to observe the normality of quantitative variables. The significance level adopted for this study was 5%.

Results

Of 92 women assessed, 93.3% had pain and 75% had increased tone in the levator ani muscle; 50.4% had impaired pelvic floor relaxation with median strength of 3 by the Oxford scale and endurance of 2 s.

Conclusions

The patients had a high prevalence of pain and dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles, such as low muscle endurance and difficulty to relax. It shows that these patients should be referred to a pelvic floor physiotherapist, as soon as they have the diagnosis of endometriosis, to be assessed to prevent and/or treat pelvic floor impairments.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [CWSF], upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr. Craig Bernard Donnelly for proofreading the manuscript regarding English, as a native English Speaker, the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for the financial support.

Funding

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Pernambuco-UFPE, Av Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235. Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP: 50670-901, Brazil

    Joyce Pereira da Silva, Bianca Maciel de Almeida, Renata Santos Ferreira, Leila Maria Álvares Barbosa & Caroline Wanderley Souto Ferreira

  2. Department of Statistic, Federal University of Pernambuco-UFPE, Recife, Brazil

    Claudia Regina de Paiva Oliveira Lima

Authors
  1. Joyce Pereira da Silva
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  2. Bianca Maciel de Almeida
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  3. Renata Santos Ferreira
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  4. Claudia Regina de Paiva Oliveira Lima
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  5. Leila Maria Álvares Barbosa
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  6. Caroline Wanderley Souto Ferreira
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Contributions

JPS: project development, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, manuscript writing, approval of the final version. BMA: data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, manuscript writing, approval of the final version. RSF: data collection, data analysis, approval of the final version. CRPOL: data analysis, interpretation of data, revision of the manuscript, approval of the final version. LMAB: project development, data analysis, interpretation of data, revision of the manuscript, approval of the final version. CWSF: project development, data analysis, interpretation of data, revision of the manuscript, approval of the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caroline Wanderley Souto Ferreira.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate

This study was conducted in accordance with the terms of the National Health Council (Resolution 466/12) and was approved by the Ethics and Human Research Committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco, approval number 4,627,309.

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da Silva, J.P., de Almeida, B.M., Ferreira, R.S. et al. Sensory and muscular functions of the pelvic floor in women with endometriosis – cross-sectional study. Arch Gynecol Obstet 308, 163–170 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-023-07037-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-023-07037-1

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