Sex‐specific differences in pain localization in female patients with endometriosis: A comparison of sexless and female human body outlines

• Published in: Brain and behavior 2023-12, Vol.13 (12), p.e3285-n/a
• Main Authors: Szczypien, Natasza, Ruchay, Zoe, Ruchay, Zino, Müller, Sandra Verena, Kaiser, Claudia, Klawonn, Frank
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Endometriosis; Ethics; Females; Gender differences; Gynecology; Localization; Medical research; Original; Pain; pain drawing; pain profile; Participation; Patients; Questionnaires; sex/gender differences; Software
• ISSN: 2162-3279; 2162-3279
• DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3285

Background This study explores sex‐specific differences in pain localization using pain drawings in female patients with endometriosis. Traditional human body outlines (HBOs) used for pain drawings are often viewed as male, making accurate pain assessment difficult. The study aims to compare pain localization and extent between patients presented with sexless and female HBOs. Methods A total of 49 female patients with endometriosis completed questionnaires and pain drawings (n = 24 and n = 26 with individually designed sexless and female HBOs, respectively). The Ruzika similarity index was used to investigate potential differences in pain drawings between sexless and female HBOs. Hypothesis testing was applied to compare the number of pixels marked in the pain extents and to investigate the suitability of the presented body outline. Results Sex of HBOs used in pain drawings had no effect on pain area, and no statistically significant differences were found in pain localization or area between female and sexless outlines. Most, but not all participants found the body outlines suitable. Conclusions The findings suggest that differences in the resulting areas marked in the pain drawings were negligible and the preferences for sexless pain drawings were not significant, so that a sexless body outline for pain drawings could be a good choice, especially when a study does not focus on one specific sex. This study investigated the influence of female versus gender‐neutral human body outlines used in pain drawings to localize pain caused by endometriosis. No significant in size or localization of pain areas could be detected between the two different types of pain drawings.