Chronic pelvic pain

Abstract Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is most commonly defined for research purposes as ‘constant or recurrent pain in the lower abdominal region lasting for at least 6 months, excluding pain related to pregnancy or malignancy, or pain that occurs only with menstruation or intercourse’. Clearly, however, women usually present with a much shorter history than 6 months and the causes described in this chapter must be considered from the time of first presentation. The major causes are endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), but CPP often appears to have no apparent cause despite extensive investigation.