Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42283871›Full record

ArticleRheumatology international2026

Characterizing sexual dysfunction in females with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder and genito-pelvic pain through cross-sectional analysis.

Leia Barton, Chailee Moss, Charlotte Ellis, Isabella Kopits, Mollie Flint, Gabriela Skovronsky, Sylvia Lorenzini, Sara Perelmuter, Analea Beckman, Jill Krapf and 1 more

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Article in Rheumatology international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Leia BartonCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.
Chailee MossCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0176-5705
Charlotte EllisCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA. charlottete7@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-7696-8586
Isabella KopitsCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.
Mollie FlintCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.
Gabriela SkovronskyCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.
Sylvia LorenziniCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.
Sara PerelmuterCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6011-9228
Analea BeckmanCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-1005-6557
Jill KrapfCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3216 West Azeele St, Tampa, FL, 33609, USA.
Andrew GoldsteinCenters for Vulvovaginal Disorders, 3 Washington Circle NW, Suite 205, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3486-2402

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundJoint hypermobility is associated with connective tissue disorders, hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD). Affected patients have high rates of myofascial pain and mast cell dysfunction, both of which have been associated with genito-pelvic pain.

aimTo characterize diagnoses among patients with hEDS/HSD with genito-pelvic pain.gate thematic evolution and collaboration patterns, network visualisation and clustering analysis were carried out.

methodsGynecology patients were evaluated with the 5-point Hypermobility Questionnaire (5HQ), and positive patients underwent additional diagnostic testing for hEDS and chart review. Patients also completed Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and Female Sexual Distress Scale (F-SDS) scales. Diagnoses and survey responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics.

resultsOf the 44 total patients with a diagnosis of hEDS, 44 (100%) had provoked vulvodynia confined to the vestibule (vestibulodynia). Similar patterns were noted in patients with hypermobile features not fully meeting hEDS diagnostic criteria. Of patients with provoked vestibulodynia, 31.6% (25/79) had posterior vestibular allodynia, suggesting hypertonic pelvic floor muscle dysfunction as the only cause of their vestibulodynia, and 68.4% (54/79) had diffuse vestibular pain, suggesting an inflammatory, neuroproliferative, or hormonal etiology.

conclusionHypermobile features are common among patients presenting for genito-pelvic pain.

Indexed as

Ehlers-Danlos SyndromeJoint InstabilityPelvic PainSexual Dysfunction, PhysiologicalVulvodyniaAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultConnective tissue diseasesHypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)Mast cellsObstetrics and gynecologyPelvic painVestibulodynia

Identifiers

PMID42283871

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.