CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN: FOCUS ON ETIOLOGY AND MODULATION

Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) is defined as pelvic pain in the same location for at least 6 months, affects up to 25% of women at some time in their lives and can result in dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, menstrual irregularities, back pain, gastrointestinal and genitourinary symptoms and reduced fecundity. Some of the most common causes of CPP are endometriosis, vulvodynia and abdominal wall and pelvic floor myalgia and neuropathy. Most women with complaints of pelvic pain will undergo laparoscopy to both diagnose and treat these diseases, but laparoscopy is often is unsuccessful due to lack of intraperitoneal pathology or altered pain processing. Pain out of proportion to identifiable pathology is the most immediate and dramatic consequence of disorders associated with CPP and is responsible for a highly negative impact on quality of life and substantial workforce loss. Due to the alarming situation and unmet need, many countries have launched a call for more focused research on improving the treatment of CPP syndrome.