Endometriosis and Female Pelvic Pain

Jin Hee Kim, Kim JH, Esther Han, Han E
Seminars in reproductive medicine · 2018 · vol. 36(02) , pp. 143–151 · doi:10.1055/s-0038-1676103 · PMID:30566980 · W2904379354
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Endometriosis, a gynecologic disorder causing pelvic pain and impacting fertility, requires ruling out other pain etiologies and has multiple treatment options with common recurrence.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 · read from full text ⓘ

This 2018 paper reviews the causes, clinical features, diagnostic considerations, and treatment landscape for endometriosis-associated female pelvic pain, emphasizing the need to rule out or address other pelvic pain etiologies and describing medical and surgical options reported to help symptoms. Across the literature it highlights that recurrence is common after stopping medication and can still occur even after surgery, and it frames treatment selection as dependent on fertility goals, prior therapies, symptoms, and patient preferences. A major limitation is that it is a narrative review rather than a new original study, so conclusions rely on heterogeneous prior evidence. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it focuses specifically on endometriosis as a cause of female pelvic pain and summarizes diagnostic and treatment approaches.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a nonmalignant gynecologic disorder that can have a significant impact on a woman's quality of life with pelvic pain and possible lasting effects on one's fertility. Symptoms, when present, can be severe and affect many organ systems including the gastrointestinal and urinary systems. Other etiologies of pelvic pain must be ruled out and/or need to be addressed concurrently for optimal patient care. There are numerous medical and surgical treatment options available that have been shown to be beneficial for endometriosis-related pelvic pain. Recurrence is common when medications are discontinued and even after surgical therapy. Ultimately, the treatment approach will be dependent on the needs of the patient, taking into consideration the patient's desire for fertility, symptoms, past treatment, and patient preferences.
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Abstract

Endometriosis is a nonmalignant gynecologic disorder that can have a significant impact on a woman's quality of life with pelvic pain and possible lasting effects on one's fertility. Symptoms, when present, can be severe and affect many organ systems including the gastrointestinal and urinary systems. Other etiologies of pelvic pain must be ruled out and/or need to be addressed concurrently for optimal patient care. There are numerous medical and surgical treatment options available that have been shown to be beneficial for endometriosis-related pelvic pain. Recurrence is common when medications are discontinued and even after surgical therapy. Ultimately, the treatment approach will be dependent on the needs of the patient, taking into consideration the patient's desire for fertility, symptoms, past treatment, and patient preferences. -

References

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Pelvic Pain Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Female Humans Humans Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Quality of Life Quality of Life Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Recurrence Recurrence Severity of Illness Index Severity of Illness Index

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