Abstract
Purpose: Pelvic pain is a classic textbook symptom of pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS). Historically, PCS pain has been described as dull and achy. Yet, women’s PCS pain experience and description may differ from classic textbook presentations. In recent work, women’s PCS pain profiles are either intense and debilitating or mild but consistent. Women in the intense and debilitating group reported pain as intense, unbearable, sharp, stabbing, shooting, sickening, and exhausting, while women in the mild but consistent class reported pain as nagging, troublesome, tiring, aching, and pressing. These differences may explain variability between groups of women with PCS regarding their quality of life (QOL), pain intensity and management. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of PCS latent classes on indicators of QOL, pain intensity, and factors impacting pain management.
Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted from data collected using a convenience sample of 160 women, 18 years and older, living with PCS associated pain. The McGill Pain Questionnaire and demographic questions were used to assess PCS pain characteristics, intensity, daily activities effecting PCS pain, and QOL. To examine systematic latent class differences, data were analyzed with non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test, Kruskal-Wallis). We calculated and evaluated the magnitude of these differences via effect sizes.
Results: On average, participants reported living with PCS-associated pain for 7.16 years, requiring 4.84 years to receive a diagnosis. Compared to the intense and debilitating class, women in the mild but consistent class experienced milder PCS pain intensity, higher QOL, and an overall higher healthcare satisfaction. Unfortunately, women in the intense and debilitating class had a lower QOL with PCS pain interfering with sleep quality, sexual desire, and healthcare satisfaction. Between both latent classes, 17 daily activities increased pain. However, women in the intense and debilitating group reported many daily activities (exercise, urination, movement, weather, tension, fatigue) as increasing pain with a higher frequency to the mild but consistent class.
Conclusion: PCS pain severely impacts women’s QOL and daily activities. Further research is needed to develop PCS pain profiles to improve assessment and screen women. Then, interventions can be designed to increase the QOL for women with PCS by reducing their pain experience.
Notes
References: Antignani, P. L., Lazarashvili, Z., Monedero, J. L., Ezpeleta, S. Z., Whiteley, M. S., Khilnani, N. M., Meissner, M. H., Wittens, C. H., Kurstjens, R. L., Belova, L., Bokuchava, M., Elkashishi, W. T., Jeanneret-Gris, C., Geroulakos, G., Gianesini, S., de Graaf, R., Krzanowski, M., Al Tarazi, L., Tessari, L., & Wikkeling, M. (2019). Diagnosis and treatment of pelvic congestion syndrome: UIP consensus document. International Angiology, 38(4), 265-283. https://doi.org/10.23736/s0392-9590.19.04237-8
Beard, R. W., Reginald, P. W., & Wadsworth, J. (1988). Clinical features of women with chronic lower abdominal pain and pelvic congestion. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 95(2), 153-161. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1988.tb06845.x
Melzack, R. (1975). The McGill Pain Questionnaire: Major properties and scoring methods. Pain, 1(3), 277-299. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(75)90044-5
Patel, S. E. (2024). Pain experience and quality of life for women living with pelvic venous disorders: A scoping review. Journal of Radiology Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jradnu.2024.09.005
Patel, S. E., & Chesnut, S. R. (2024). Characterizing the description of pelvic congestion syndrome pain: A latent class analysis. Phlebology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/02683555241287672
Sinha, P., Calfee, C. S., & Delucchi, K. L. (2021). Practitioner’s guide to latent class analysis: Methodological considerations and common pitfalls. Critical Care Medicine, 49(1), e63-e79. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000004710
Sigma Membership
Lambda Phi
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Acute Care, Primary Care, Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, PCS, Quality of Life
Recommended Citation
Patel, Sarah E. and Chesnut, Steven R., "Examining Latent Class Variations in Adult Women Diagnosed With Pelvic Congestion Syndrome" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 42.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/42
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Examining Latent Class Variations in Adult Women Diagnosed With Pelvic Congestion Syndrome
Seattle, Washington, USA
Purpose: Pelvic pain is a classic textbook symptom of pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS). Historically, PCS pain has been described as dull and achy. Yet, women’s PCS pain experience and description may differ from classic textbook presentations. In recent work, women’s PCS pain profiles are either intense and debilitating or mild but consistent. Women in the intense and debilitating group reported pain as intense, unbearable, sharp, stabbing, shooting, sickening, and exhausting, while women in the mild but consistent class reported pain as nagging, troublesome, tiring, aching, and pressing. These differences may explain variability between groups of women with PCS regarding their quality of life (QOL), pain intensity and management. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of PCS latent classes on indicators of QOL, pain intensity, and factors impacting pain management.
Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted from data collected using a convenience sample of 160 women, 18 years and older, living with PCS associated pain. The McGill Pain Questionnaire and demographic questions were used to assess PCS pain characteristics, intensity, daily activities effecting PCS pain, and QOL. To examine systematic latent class differences, data were analyzed with non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test, Kruskal-Wallis). We calculated and evaluated the magnitude of these differences via effect sizes.
Results: On average, participants reported living with PCS-associated pain for 7.16 years, requiring 4.84 years to receive a diagnosis. Compared to the intense and debilitating class, women in the mild but consistent class experienced milder PCS pain intensity, higher QOL, and an overall higher healthcare satisfaction. Unfortunately, women in the intense and debilitating class had a lower QOL with PCS pain interfering with sleep quality, sexual desire, and healthcare satisfaction. Between both latent classes, 17 daily activities increased pain. However, women in the intense and debilitating group reported many daily activities (exercise, urination, movement, weather, tension, fatigue) as increasing pain with a higher frequency to the mild but consistent class.
Conclusion: PCS pain severely impacts women’s QOL and daily activities. Further research is needed to develop PCS pain profiles to improve assessment and screen women. Then, interventions can be designed to increase the QOL for women with PCS by reducing their pain experience.
Description
Chronic pelvic pain from pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) severely impacts women’s quality of life and daily activities. Recent work on this complex condition has identified two unique pain profiles in adult women: intense and debilitating or mild but consistent. This presentation will describe the variability of these PCS pain profiles on pain intensity, quality of life, sleep quality, healthcare satisfaction, sexual desire, and daily activities on pain management in women.