Endometriosis remains an enigmatic disorder in that the cause, the natural history, and the
precise mechanisms by which it causes pain are not completely understood. The pain
symptoms most commonly attributed to endometriosis are dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and
chronic pelvic pain. Pain may be due to nociceptive, inflammatory, or neuropathic
mechanisms, and there is evidence that all 3 of these mechanisms are relevant to
endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. It is proposed that the clinically observed …