Prevalence of chronic pelvic pain and associated factors among indigenous women of reproductive age in Ecuador

• Published in: BMC women's health 2024-07, Vol.24 (1), p.388-12, Article 388
• Main Authors: Vargas-Costales, José Antonio, Rosero, Carmen Yolanda de Las Mercedes Villa, Mazin, Suleimy Cristina, Candido-Dos-Reis, Francisco José, Nogueira, Antonio Alberto, Rosa-E-Silva, Julio Cesar, Poli-Neto, Omero Benedicto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Chronic pain; Chronic Pain - epidemiology; Contraceptives; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural heritage; Cultural values; Developed countries; Developing countries; Dysmenorrhea - epidemiology; Dyspareunia; Dyspareunia - epidemiology; Ecuador; Ecuador - epidemiology; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Humans; Hypertension; Indigenous; Indigenous peoples; Indigenous Peoples - statistics & numerical data; Kichwa; LDCs; Menarche; Metabolic disorders; Middle Aged; Minority women; Non-cyclic pelvic pain; Pain management; Pelvic pain; Pelvic Pain - epidemiology; Perceptions; Population; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Public policy; Quality of life; Risk factors; Sexual disorders; Statistics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Womens health; Young Adult; Young women
• ISSN: 1472-6874; 1472-6874
• DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-03189-7

Chronic pelvic pain is a common disease that affects approximately 4% of women of reproductive age in developed countries. This number is estimated to be higher in developing countries, with a significant negative personal and socioeconomic impact on women. The lack of data on this condition in several countries, particularly those in development and in socially and biologically vulnerable populations such as the indigenous, makes it difficult to guide public policies. To evaluate the prevalence of chronic pelvic pain (dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, non-cyclical pain) and identify which variables are independently associated with the presence of the condition in indigenous women from Otavalo-Ecuador. A cross-sectional study was carried out including a sample of 2429 women of reproductive age between 14 and 49 years old, obtained from April 2022 to March 2023. A directed questionnaire was used, collected by bilingual interviewers (Kichwa and Spanish) belonging to the community itself; the number of patients was selected by random sampling proportional to the number of women estimated by sample calculation. Data are presented as case prevalence, odds ratio, and 95% confidence interval, with p