Chronic pelvic pain

Abstract

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is defined as a general symptom of persistent pain located in the pelvis of at least 6 months' duration [1]. CPP is considered a confusing entity because the pain is often unrelated to underlying gynecological pathology. Some patients with severe pathology may report little pain while others with mild to moderate tissue deformation may experience severe pain [2,3]. According to several studies of laparoscopy performed for CPP, approximately one-third of patients have endometriosis, one-third have adhesions, and one-third have unclear pathology [4-7]. Moreover, pain experienced by patients can range from the intermittent, such as with dysmenorrhea, to the kind that may be chronic and continuous [8]. Because of the lack of association to organic or physiologic change, CPP is often labeled as a functional somatic syndrome. © 2006 Springer-Verlag London Limited.