Abstract
Fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome are common disorders which often coexist
in women with chronic pelvic pain. Like pelvic pain, these disorders describe symptoms
without pathologic findings. Women with chronic pelvic pain have a higher prevalence
of fibromyalgia (4–31%) and irritable bowel syndrome (8–41%) than the general population.
Aberrant pain processing and psychosocial stressors are implicated in the co-occurrence
of these pain syndromes (chronic overlapping pain conditions), but active epidemiologic,
psychosocial, and neurobiologic research is ongoing. Given the higher prevalence of
fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome in women with chronic pelvic pain, gynecologists
should have more education in diagnosis and treatment of these and other chronic overlapping
pain conditions to improve care for women.
Keywords
fibromyalgia - irritable bowel syndrome - pelvic pain
