Does a Virtual Program for Pelvic Pain Improve Pain and Sexual Outcomes in Individuals With Provoked Vestibulodynia?

NCT ID: NCT06999395

Last Updated: 2025-05-31

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

250 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-07-31

Study Completion Date

2028-12-31

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a 3-month online pelvic health program works to improve pain and sexual wellbeing in adult women with chronic genital pain. The main research questions it aims to answer are:

* How well does the program work to improve pain and sexual wellbeing?
* How well does the program work to improve pain anxiety and pain interference?
* How do participants rate their improvement after completing the program?
* How satisfied are participants with the program?

Researchers will compare participants who receive the program right away to those who wait for the program. Participants who receive the program right away will

* Progress through the program at their own pace
* Learn about pain science, do pelvic health exercises, and use information to be more mindful and less anxious about the pain
* Answer questions about their pain experiences and sexual wellbeing before and after the 3-month program, as well as 3 months after the end of the program
* Provide information about their experiences with the program and progress through the program during and after the program

Detailed Description

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The primary aim of the proposed single-centre randomized controlled trial is to examine the efficacy of a virtual multimodal 12-week program for individuals with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD, diagnosed by a healthcare provider) compared with a waitlist control group (i.e., participants who are on the waitlist to receive treatment). We hypothesize that participation in the program will result in greater improvements in our primary outcomes of pain and sexual wellbeing for persons with PVD immediately post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up compared to the control group. Our secondary aim is to compare outcomes of the program versus control group on secondary measures of pain catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy, interference (on sexual life and life in general), perceived improvement, and treatment satisfaction. We hypothesize that participants in the program will report greater improvements in these outcomes compared to participants on the waitlist . We will also collect information on adverse events, progress through the program, and thoughts about the program.

Conditions

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Vulvodynia (Chronic Vulvar Pain) Vulvar Vestibulitis Vestibulodynia Provoked Vestibulodynia Provoked Localized Vulvodynia

Keywords

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vulvodynia provoked vestibulodynia virtual pelvic health program pain and sexual wellbeing outcomes randomized controlled trial intervention

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators
Collaborators and statistician.

Study Groups

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Active treatment

Participants in the active treatment arm will receive access to the program once determined eligible.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Virtual online pelvic health program

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The program offers a multimodal approach to self-guided treatment for PVD. Its multimodal approach is exemplified by pain education focusing on pelvic health and neuroplasticity to provide the foundation for strategies strengthening the mind-body connection to the pelvis; mindful breathing and relaxation exercises to reduce nervous system overactivation and enhance mood; and gradual progression of exercises encouraging awareness, stretching, and strengthening to promote relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and reduction of accessory muscle tension resulting from protective guarding. The program uses 3 separate yet interconnected modules: Learn (20 modules of pain science education and skills), Rewire (11 modules featuring mindfulness and relaxation), and Move (45 pelvic and other exercises).

Waitlist control

Participants in the waitlist control group will wait 3 months for access to the program. As the wait, they will receive the same surveys at the same timepoints as the active treatment group.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Virtual online pelvic health program

The program offers a multimodal approach to self-guided treatment for PVD. Its multimodal approach is exemplified by pain education focusing on pelvic health and neuroplasticity to provide the foundation for strategies strengthening the mind-body connection to the pelvis; mindful breathing and relaxation exercises to reduce nervous system overactivation and enhance mood; and gradual progression of exercises encouraging awareness, stretching, and strengthening to promote relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and reduction of accessory muscle tension resulting from protective guarding. The program uses 3 separate yet interconnected modules: Learn (20 modules of pain science education and skills), Rewire (11 modules featuring mindfulness and relaxation), and Move (45 pelvic and other exercises).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Self-reported physician diagnosis of provoked vestibulodynia (PVD)
* PVD duration of at least 3 months
* PVD pain intensity rating of at least 3 on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain)
* Resides in North America (Canada or the United States)
* Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria

* Less than 18 years old
* Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy
* Breastfeeding
* Up to one year postpartum
* Physical or mental health conditions that significantly interfere with activities of daily living
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Queen's University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dr. Caroline Pukall

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Caroline Pukall, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Queen's University

Central Contacts

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Research Coordinator

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 613 533 3276

Email: [email protected]

Post-doctoral fellow

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 613 533 3276

Email: [email protected]

Other Identifiers

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196214

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

QueensU-196214

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id