Menopause Review
facebook
eISSN: 2299-0038
ISSN: 1643-8876
Menopause Review/Przegląd Menopauzalny
Current issue Archive Online First About the journal Editorial board Abstracting and indexing Subscription Contact Ethical standards and procedures Special Issues Instructions for authors Publication charge
Editorial System
Submit your Manuscript
SCImago Journal & Country Rank


Share:
Share:
Review paper

Effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pelvic pain in women: a systematic review

Gianpaolo Ronconi
1, 2
,
Rosella Calciano
1
,
Giuseppe Gullo
3
,
Antonella Vitale
2
,
Eliana Rampulla
4
,
Alberto Cutaia
2
,
Augusto Fusco
5
,
Elisabetta Lama
2
,
Eleonora Conti
3
,
Valentina Billone
3
,
Paola Emilia Ferrara
1

  1. Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "Agostino Gemelli" IRCCS, Department of Geriatrics, Orthopaedics and Rheumatology, Rome, Italy
  2. University Department of Geriatric and Orthopaedic Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
  3. AOOR Villa Sofia Cervello, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
  4. Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
  5. UOSD High-Intensity Neurorehabilitation, Department of Neuroscience, Sensory Organs and Thorax, University Hospital Foundation “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy
Menopause Rev 2026; 25(1): 1-7
Online publish date: 2026/05/11
Article file
Get citation
 
PlumX metrics:
 
1. Lamvu G, Carrillo J, Ouyang C, Rapkin A. Chronic pelvic pain in women: a review. JAMA 2021; 325: 2381-2391.
2. Latthe P, Latthe M, Say L, Gülmezoglu M, Khan KS. WHO systematic review of prevalence of chronic pelvic pain: a neglected reproductive health morbidity. BMC Public Health 2006; 6: 177.
3. Ahangari A. Prevalence of chronic pelvic pain among women: an updated review. Pain Physician 2014; 17: E141-147.
4. Sharma N, Rekha K, Srinivasan JK. Efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain. J Midlife Health 2017; 8: 36-39.
5. Grace VM, MacBride-Stewart S. ‘Women get this’: gendered meanings of chronic pelvic pain. Health (London) 2007; 11: 47-67.
6. Padubidri VG, Daftary SN. Hawkins and Bourne Shaw’s textbook of gynaecology. 13th ed. Elsevier 2004, India, 429-432.
7. Parsons BA, Baranowski AP, Berghmans B, Borovicka J, Cottrell AM, Dinis-Oliveira P, et al. Management of chronic primary pelvic pain syndromes. BJU Int 2022; 1295: 572-581.
8. Ronconi G, Ferrara PE. Terapie fisiche strumentali in riabilitazione. Piccin Nuova Libraria, Padova 2025.
9. Mokhtari T, Ren Q, Li N, Wang F, Bi Y, Hu L. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in relieving neuropathic pain: basic mechanisms and clinical applications. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2020; 24: 14.
10. Johnson M. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: mechanisms, clinical application and evidence. Rev Pain 2007; 1: 7-11.
11. Johnson MI, Paley CA, Jones G, Mulvey MR, Wittkopf PG. Efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for acute and chronic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 381 studies (the meta-TENS study). BMJ Open 2022; 12: e051073.
12. Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), London 2021.
13. National Guideline Centre (UK). Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), London 2016.
14. National Clinical Guideline Centre (UK). Osteoarthritis: care and management in adults. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK), London 2014.
15. National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Conditions (UK). Rheumatoid arthritis: national clinical guideline for management and treatment in adults. Royal College of Physicians (UK), London 2009.
16. Li R, Li B, Kreher DA, Benjamin AR, Gubbels A, Smith SM. Association between dys-menorrhea and chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020; 223: 350-371.
17. Serrano-Imedio A, Calvo-Lobo C, Casañas-Martin C, Garrido-Marin A, Pecos-Martin D. Myofascial pain syndrome in women with primary dysmenorrhea: a case-control study. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12: 2723.
18. Bao C, Noga H, Allaire C, Williams C, Bedaiwy MA, Sadownik LA, et al. Provoked vestibulodynia in women with pelvic pain. Sex Med 2019; 7: 227-234.
19. Mendes CF, Oliveira LS, Garcez PA, Azevedo-Santos IF, DeSantana JM. Effect of different electric stimulation modalities on pain and functionality of patients with pelvic pain: sys-tematic review with META-analysis. Pain Pract 2024.
20. Murina F, Recalcati D, Di Francesco S, Cetin I. Effectiveness of two transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) protocols in women with provoked vestibulodynia: a randomized controlled trial. Med Sci (Basel) 2023; 113: 48.
21. Huang X, Lin J, Demner-Fushman D. Evaluation of PICO as a knowledge representation for clinical questions. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2006; 2006: 359-363.
22. Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021; 372: n71.
23. Guy M, Foucher C, Juhel C, Rigaudier F, Mayeux G, Levesque A. Transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation relieves primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized, double-blind clinical study versus placebo. Prog Urol 2022; 32: 487-497.
24. McLagan B, Dexheimer J, Strock N, Goldstein S, Guzman S, Erceg D, et al. The role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for menstrual pain relief: a randomized control trial. Womens Health (Lond) 2024; 20: 17455057241266455.
25. Manisha U, Anuradha L. Effect of high frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at root level menstrual pain in primary dysmenorrhea. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2021; 26: 108-112.
26. Han S, Park KS, Lee H, Kim E, Zhu X, Lee JM, Suh HS. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain control in women with primary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2024; 7: CD013331.
27. Igwea SE, Tabansi-Ochuogu CS, Abaraogu UO. TENS and heat therapy for pain relief and quality of life improvement in individuals with primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2016; 24: 86-91.
28. Proctor M, Farquhar C, Stones W, He L, Zhu X, Brown J. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for primary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002; CD002123.
29. Fernández-Pérez P, Leirós-Rodríguez R, Marqués-Sánchez MP, Martínez-Fernández MC, de Carvalho FO, Maciel LYS. Effectiveness of physical therapy interventions in women with dyspareunia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23: 387.
30. Johnson MI, Paley CA, Jones G, Mulvey MR, Wittkopf PG. Efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for acute and chronic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 381 studies (the meta-TENS study). BMJ Open 2022; 12: e051073.
31. Katirci Kirmaci Zİ, Adigüzel H, Göğremiş M, Kirmaci YŞ, İnanç Y, Tuncel Berktaş D. The effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential currents (IFC) on pain, functional capacity, and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled, single-blinded study. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2023; 71: 104541.
32. Mira TAA, Yela DA, Podgaec S, Baracat EC, Benetti-Pinto CL. Hormonal treatment isolated versus hormonal treatment associated with electrotherapy for pelvic pain control in deep endometriosis: randomized clinical trial. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2020; 255: 134-141.
33. Woods B, Manca A, Weatherly H, Saramago P, Sideris E, Giannopoulou C, et al. Cost-effectiveness of adjunct non-pharmacological interventions for osteoarthritis of the knee. PLoS One 2017; 12: e0172749.
Copyright: © 2026 Termedia Sp. z o. o. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.

Quick links
© 2026 Termedia Sp. z o.o.
Developed by Termedia.