OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between surgical findings and postoperative pain intensity and its reaction to analgesics in women who underwent surgical sterilization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Observational, analytical, retrospective cohort study carried out in an institution in eastern Colombia in women over 18 years of age who opted for laparoscopic surgical sterilization as a method of family planning. Quantitative variables were analyzed as measures of central tendency and nominal variables as percentages. The history of pelvic pain was compared with the severity of postoperative pain, with adjustment for confounding variables.

RESULTS:

We studied 141 patients with age limits of 25 and 34 years. A history of pelvic pain was evident in 26.2%. During surgery 29.7% had moderate adhesive syndrome of the abdominal wall towards the uterus, which was associated with a history of pelvic pain in 29.7%. In the evaluation of postoperative pain, 48.2% suffered moderate pain. In 95% of the patient’s pain was controlled with 500 mg of paracetamol every 6 hours, without requiring opioids.

CONCLUSIONS:

Moderate adhesive syndrome was associated with a history of chronic pelvic pain and previous cesarean section. There was no significant relationship between postoperative pain and surgical findings. Pain at 72 hours was mild and moderate in 46.1 and 48.2% respectively. In this study the laparoscopic procedure was not associated with increased pain, which was controlled with conventional analgesia, which confirms an important advantage of this type of procedure.

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