Transvaginal photobiomodulation helps resolve pelvic pain, dysuria

Most women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) achieve a significant reduction in pelvic pain and dysuria following transvaginal photobiomodulation (TV-PBM), previously referred as low-level laser therapy, according to real-world data.

Researchers collected preliminary data on the effect of TV-PBM therapy and adherence to it among IC/BPS patients with pelvic pain treated across 17 clinics across the US. Pain was measured using a 0–10 numeric rating scale (NRS).

The primary endpoint was a minimal clinical important difference (MCID), defined as a reduction in overall pelvic pain severity of ≥2 NRS points from baseline after eight treatment sessions.

The analysis included 140 patients with IC/BPS who self-selected to start TV-PBM therapy, among whom 83 (59.3 percent) completed eight treatment sessions while 125 (89.3 percent) completed four. There were 53 patients (63.9 percent) who achieved MCID (≥2 NRS points) and 61 who saw a reduction of ≥1 NRS point in overall pelvic pain severity after eight treatment sessions.

The number of patients with severe/moderate pain decreased from 83.1 percent at baseline to 38.5 percent after the eighth treatment session (p<0.001).

Eight TV-PBM sessions resulted in the following improvements: overall pelvic pain MCID, –2.7; pain with urination MCID, –2.6; pain with exercise MCID, –2.6; and pain with intercourse MCID, –2.5.

Controlled studies are needed to establish the role of TV-PBM in the treatment of IC/BPS and determine the duration of its therapeutic effect when incorporated into a multimodal treatment regimen.