# The National Program to Overcome Pelvic Pain studY (POPPY)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $812,735

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
One out of seven women suffer from chronic pelvic pain, a syndrome leading to depression, social isolation,
sexual dysfunction, physical inactivity, and progressive pain-related disability. Unfortunately, few clinical
treatments for chronic pelvic pain are supported by rigorous evidence of efficacy, and most have limitations
that decrease their safety or accessibility for many women in the community. Women with chronic pelvic pain
also have high rates of exposure to sexual and interpersonal trauma, which can complicate their engagement
with clinical treatments. As a result, many women are anxious to identify alternate management strategies for
pelvic pain that are not only effective but better tolerated, more patient-centered, and more accessible.
Yoga is a set of complementary physical and mental practices with the potential to improve pelvic pain in
women through multiple mechanisms. When practiced in a way that emphasizes careful practice of yoga
postures, mindful awareness of body structures (such as the pelvic floor), deep breathing and relaxation
techniques, and trauma-informed care principles, yoga can be used to help women improve pelvic floor
dysfunction, correct maladaptive postural and physical behaviors, decrease comorbid anxiety and perceived
stress, and overcome deconditioning associated with chronic pain. Furthermore, yoga as a complementary
treatment modality does not require intensive supervision by clinician specialists or repeated visits to
healthcare facilities. With the rise of videoconference-based yoga instruction, women do not even need to
travel back and forth to brick-and mortar yoga studios, but instead gain access to specialized yoga instruction,
maintain regular yoga practice, and interact with others with the same indication from their own homes.
To evaluate the feasibility of pelvic yoga as a complementary management strategy for women with chronic
pelvic pain, our team collaborated with an expert yoga panel to develop and refine a structured pelvic yoga
program grounded in a biophysiological model of female chronic pelvic pain. In a randomized feasibility trial,
women with chronic pelvic pain recruited from multiple locations in California were randomly assigned to a
study yoga program consisting of twice-weekly group classes conducted by videoconference supplemented by
once weekly individual practice, or a control program of time-equivalent group instruction and individual
practice of non-specific muscle stretching and strengthening exercises. Following the successful completion of
this pilot, we now propose to conduct a full-scale, fully remote trial in women recruited nationally, to rigorously
evaluate the efficacy of remotely delivered pelvic yoga and to explore potential mediators of treatment benefit.
This research is designed to provide rigorous evidence of the efficacy and safety of a remotely delivered pelvic
yoga program as a potentially patient-centered, scalable, community-based self-man...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10881523
- **Project number:** 1R01AT012461-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Carolyn Gibson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $812,735
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-01 → 2029-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10881523

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10881523, The National Program to Overcome Pelvic Pain studY (POPPY) (1R01AT012461-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10881523. Licensed CC0.

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