Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP)
Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is persistent or recurrent pain in the pelvis lasting six months or longer, unrelated to menstruation alone, that causes functional impairment or requires medical care. It is not a diagnosis. It is a symptom that demands one. CPP can arise from endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic adhesions, interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, or pelvic floor dysfunction, and more than one cause often operates at the same time.[208]
The underlying source is frequently missed when evaluation stops at symptom management. Endometriosis is a common finding at laparoscopy for CPP, yet many patients remain undiagnosed for years because subtle and deeply infiltrating lesions can be invisible to standard laparoscopic technique. Near-contact laparoscopy detects lesions that conventional visualization misses.
Identifying the etiology changes the treatment. Excision of endometriosis, lysis of adhesions, or surgical correction of structural contributors addresses the root cause rather than blunting the pain signal. Pelvic floor physical therapy is part of the evaluation when musculoskeletal dysfunction contributes to the pain picture, as it frequently does alongside other pathology. Diagnostic laparoscopy remains the standard for definitive identification of intraperitoneal causes.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult an RRM clinician or healthcare provider for guidance specific to your situation.