Vij, Monika, Dua, Anu, Davies, Anthony et al. · International urogynecology journal · 2021 · DOI
This study looked at whether women with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, or IBS (conditions involving central nervous system sensitivity) had worse outcomes after surgery for pelvic organ prolapse compared to women without these conditions. The researchers found that women with these central sensitivity syndromes reported more persistent symptoms, more pain, and lower satisfaction with surgery even when the surgery was technically successful.
This finding is clinically relevant for ME/CFS patients because it demonstrates that central nervous system sensitization can independently predict poor subjective outcomes from surgery, even when the surgery technically succeeds. Understanding this dissociation between anatomical cure and symptom persistence may help both patients and providers set realistic expectations and consider additional interventions targeting central sensitivity mechanisms.
This study does not prove that CSS causes poor surgical outcomes; it establishes association only. It does not explain the mechanism behind worse subjective outcomes in CSS patients, nor does it demonstrate whether alternative treatments or perioperative management strategies could improve satisfaction in this population. The sample size is modest (n=62) and limited to one surgical procedure, limiting generalizability.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Vij, Monika, Dua, Anu, Davies, Anthony, & Freeman, Robert (2021). Do patients with central sensitivity syndromes have poor subjective outcomes despite anatomical cure from pelvic organ prolapse surgery?. International urogynecology journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-020-04655-0
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-vij-2021-patients-central,
author = {Vij, Monika and Dua, Anu and Davies, Anthony and Freeman, Robert},
title = {Do patients with central sensitivity syndromes have poor subjective outcomes despite anatomical cure from pelvic organ prolapse surgery?},
journal = {International urogynecology journal},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1007/s00192-020-04655-0},
note = {PubMed: 33459804},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vij-2021-patients-central},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/vij-2021-patients-central
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.