Effect of Pain Vigilance on Pain, Bladder-Bowel Function and Sexual Life

T.C. ORDU ÜNİVERSİTESİ

Status: Begins enrollment this month

Conditions: Vaginal Surgery

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07065188

2025 06/254

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study to investigate the effect of preoperative pain hypervigilance on postoperative pain, bladder-bowel symptoms and sexual life after vaginal surgery and to compare these parameters before and after surgery. Pain vigilance (Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire-PVAQ), pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale-PCS), bladder-bowel function (Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire-APFQ), and sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)) of women were recorded before and after surgery. Visual analogue scales were used to assess the postoperative pain intensity.

Full description

Hypervigilance is the state of being consciously alert to external stimuli. Specific attention to pain or other somatosensory stimuli is defined as "specific hypervigilance". Hypervigilance is a strong indicator of subjective acute postoperative pain and contributes significantly to the prediction of post-operative pain. A cautious bias toward positive preoperative stimuli may predispose patients to postoperative pain, indicating a maladaptive coping method. Pain-related disability occurs in patients with a high level of pain hypervigilance before surgery. Urinary and bowel functions are impaired after vaginal surgery and bladder-bowel dysfunction is observed. Sexual function is also affected positively or negatively after vaginal surgery. The causes of sexual dysfunction after vaginal surgery are classified as organic, emotional and psychological. Decreased pelvic blood flow may cause vaginal dryness and dyspareunia by causing vaginal smooth muscle fibrosis.

This study was planned to evaluate the effect of preoperative pain hypervigilance on post-operative pain, bladder-bowel symptoms and sexual life in women undergoing vaginal surgery and to compare these parameters before and after surgery. Physical and sociodemographic, obstetric and clinical characteristics will be recorded. Pain, bladder-bowel and sexual function will be evaluated before and after surgery. The pain trigger status of the subjects will be assessed with the PVAQ, the degree to which they catastrophize pain will be assessed with the PCS and their sexual function will be assessed with the FSFI . The AOFQ will be used to assess bladder-bowel function. Postoperative pain intensity during urination and defecation will be evaluated with Visual Analog Scale.

Enrollment: 77 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being aged 18-40.
• Being able to read and write Turkish.
• Have undergone vaginal surgery.

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of any confounding condition in post-operative pain severity (patients with a history of chronic pelvic pain and/or endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease),
• Having conditions in which sexual activity is contraindicated and should be restricted (genital infection, etc.),
• Vulvovaginal infection,
• Having a neurological disease,
• Having visual, auditory, and cognitive problems that may prevent participation in the study.