Association between traditional Chinese medicine body constitution deviation and chronic pelvic pain: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is one of the most challenging conditions that physicians and patients face nowadays. This study aimed to assess the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution profiles, demographic characteristics, and lifestyle of women suffering from CPP.

Materials and methods: This study included 378 female patients of reproductive potential from a single Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic in Taiwan. Data were collected using the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), the TCM Body Constitution Deviation (BCQ-44) Questionnaire, and the Behavior Rating Scale. The chi-squared test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman's correlation were used to analyze the data.

Results: TCM body composition deviation was correlated with the level of pain in patients with CPP. Moreover, the quality of life (QOL) of these patients was found to be affected by the level of pain. Additionally, the QOL was correlated with the TCM body composition deviation profile.

Conclusion: The TCM BCQ-44 can be used in the medical practice to assess patients' health status and can also serve as a guide to address the risk factors for CPP.

Keywords: Chronic pelvic pain; Stasis constitution; Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM); Yang-Xu (Yang deficiency constitution); Yin-Xu (Yin deficiency constitution).