Quality of Descriptions of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Prescribed to Women With Dyspareunia: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to analyze the description quality of interventions with pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) for dyspareunia treatment and to describe treatment modalities and protocols.

METHODS

This was a systematic review of randomized clinical trials, longitudinal studies, and before-after studies. We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane, LILACS, PEDro, and Embase, last updated June 2024. The Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template recommendations and Consensus on Therapeutic Exercise Training document were used to analyze the description of PFMT protocols.

RESULTS

Among 769 retrieved articles, 17 were included, involving 963 women 20 to 70 years of age with dyspareunia, vulvodynia, pelvic pain, and/or sexual dysfunction. Dyspareunia was assessed with tools such as numeric or subjective pain scales and questionnaires like the Female Sexual Function Index. The mean Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template score was 7.3 ± 2.7 (40% of items accomplished). The mean Consensus on Therapeutic Exercise Training score was 5.4 ± 1.3 (61% of items accomplished). Most protocols applied supervised exercises at outpatient clinics and prescribed nonsupervised home exercises. PFMT encompassed muscle contraction with varied duration (3-60 seconds) and intensity (phasic and tonic), followed by muscle relaxation. Most associated therapy was biofeedback, followed by manual therapy and electrical stimulation.

CONCLUSION

Most descriptions of PFMT protocols for dyspareunia treatment did not follow recommended consensus tools, making it difficult to compare data and transpose to clinical practice. Protocols of PFMT are heterogeneous among studies.