Papers of the Week

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP), often defined as non-cyclical pelvic pain lasting for 6 months or longer, affects approximately 2-24% of women, depending on the CPP definition used (Daniels et al. BMJ 2010;341:c4834). While CPP can be a symptom associated with a variety of health conditions (including endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis), at least 30% of women undergoing laparoscopic surgery have no associated disease diagnosis or clear pathologic cause for their pain.