--- title: Do women who experienced recent abuse have more health problems than other women? description: Yes. Four percent of women at gynecology clinics reported recent abuse. Women who reported abuse had more mental health diagnoses, more physical symptoms, mor url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/differing-symptoms-of-abused-versus-nonabused-women-in-obstetric-gynecology-2003/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women who experienced recent abuse have more health problems than other women? Survey study, 2003 # Do women who experienced recent abuse have more health problems than other women? Yes. Four percent of women at gynecology clinics reported recent abuse. Women who reported abuse had more mental health diagnoses, more physical symptoms, more stress, and worse overall health compared to women without abuse. Early or limited evidence 2918 women at seven gynecology practices (118 reported recent abuse, 2800 reported no abuse). ## What they did 118 women who reported physical or sexual abuse in the past year were compared with 2800 women who reported no abuse at seven gynecology practices. Doctors assessed mental health diagnoses, physical symptoms, stress, health status, and how often women visited doctors. ## What they found Four percent of women reported recent physical or sexual abuse. Compared to non-abused women, women who reported abuse had more mental health diagnoses, more severe mental distress, more physical symptoms, more life stressors, more doctor visits, and reported worse health status. ## What it means for you Screening women for abuse at gynecology clinics could help identify those needing help and possibly reduce unnecessary medical visits. The main limitation is that this study compared abused and non-abused women at one point in time but did not test whether actually screening and recognizing abuse would improve health outcomes. 4% of women reported recent abuse 118 women reported recent abuse 2800 women reported no recent abuse ## About the study Original title Differing symptoms of abused versus nonabused women in obstetric-gynecology settings Authors Kovac SH, Klapow JC, Kroenke K et al. Journal American journal of obstetrics and gynecology Year 2003 Study design Survey study Participants 2,800 What was tested Comparison of women with history of abuse versus women without abuse. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1067/mob.2003.193](https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2003.193) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Does mindfulness training reduce PMS symptoms and fear about childbirth? Systematic review, 2025 Is there a link between stress, trauma, and premenstrual symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Does caloric restriction and aerobic exercise improve PMS symptoms in obese women? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Review, 2025 How do stress hormone levels change during the menstrual cycle and how does this affect health? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗