Papers of the Week

Endometriosis can cause chronic pain and subfertility thereby negatively affecting quality of life (QoL). Surgical removal of endometriosis lesions leads to improved health-related QoL, although not to the level of QoL of healthy controls. Pain intensity and cognitions regarding pain can play a crucial role in this health-related QoL following surgical treatment. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment. In patients with chronic pain caused by a variety of medical conditions, CBT is effective in improving QoL. We designed a research protocol to investigate the effect of CBT on QoL in patients with endometriosis-associated chronic pain who are undergoing surgery.