• Nicole Oliveira de Bernardes, Andrea Marques, Camila Ganunny, and Luis Bahamondes.
• Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Campinas, and National Institute of Hormones and Women's Health, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
• J Reprod Med. 2010 Jan 1; 55 (1-2): 19-24.

ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of intravaginal electrical stimulation (IVES) or placebo in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) with no apparent cause.Study DesignA double-blind, crossover, randomized clinical trial in which 26 women were randomly allocated to active (group I, n = 15) or placebo (group II, n = 11) IVES. All women underwent 10 30-minute, twice-weekly sessions. The groups were then crossed over for a further 10 sessions. Pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) before and after each series.ResultsAt the end of the first series, 5 of 11 women who initiated with the placebo had a VAS pain score > 3 (p = 0.0253); however, when they crossed over to active IVES, only 1 had a VAS pain score > 3 at the end of the series (p = 0.0143). In the 15 women who initiated with active IVES, 2 had a score > 3 at the end of the series (p = 0.0005); however, when they crossed over to the placebo, 3 had a VAS pain score > 3 at the end of treatment (p = 0.0833). After the 2 sessions, 54.6% who initiated with placebo and 80% who initiated with active IVES had a VAS pain score < 3.ConclusionIntravaginal electrical stimulation was more effective than a placebo in alleviating pain in women with CPP.

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