Deep phenotyping of women with endometriosis-associated pain and bladder pain syndrome: the TRiPP (Translational Research in Pelvic Pain) study protocol

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesChronic pelvic pain is common, poorly understood, and many women suffer for years without proper diagnosis and effective treatment. The Translational Research in Pelvic Pain (TRiPP) project takes a phenotyping approach, with a particular focus on endometriosis-associated pain (EAP) and bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), to improve our fundamental understanding of chronic pelvic pain. We believe that reconceptualising these conditions in the context of the multisystem dysfunction known for other chronic pain conditions rather than as end-organ pathologies has the potential to improve our understanding of the conditions. Our approach combines clinical, biological, physiological and psychological data to establish perturbations in the functions of pain-relevant systems that are specific to EAP and IC/BPS, and those that overlap both conditions and chronic pelvic pain more generally and associated quantitative biomarker profiles.DiscussionWe believe that TRiPP’s novel methodological approach will produce clinical data to aid our understanding of pelvic pain and identify underlying pathways for the development of refined animal models and targeted therapeutic treatments.