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Is endometriosis really associated with pain?
Mikio Momoeda1, Yuji Taketani, Noaki Terakawa
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tokyo, Japan. momoeda-tky@umin.ac.jp
Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation
|November 21, 2002
Summary
Endometriosis pain, including chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia, correlates with disease stage. However, the relationship between endometriosis and dysmenorrhea severity varies depending on whether infertility or pain is the primary concern.
Area of Science:
- Gynecology
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pain Research
Background:
- Endometriosis pain symptomology presents conflicting findings in existing literature.
- Selection biases may influence the perceived relationship between endometriosis and pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between endometriosis disease stage and pain symptoms.
- To differentiate pain-stage correlations based on patient chief complaint (infertility vs. pain).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1,092 women with endometriosis, categorized by chief complaint: infertility (n=476) or pain (n=616).
- Correlations between endometriosis stage and chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, and dysmenorrhea were examined within each group and in aggregate.
Main Results:
- Chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia frequencies significantly increased with endometriosis stage across all groups.
- Dysmenorrhea severity showed a parallel increase with disease stage in the infertility group, but not in the pain group or aggregate.
- No significant aggregate relationship was found between dysmenorrhea severity and disease stage.
Conclusions:
- Chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia are demonstrably related to endometriosis extent.
- The association between dysmenorrhea and endometriosis stage may be influenced by patient selection bias, particularly concerning infertility as a chief complaint.