Study Will Examine Pelvic Pain Associated with Endometriosis

EPISODE #10
Uploaded:  November 21, 2008
Running Time:  3:37

SCHMALFELDT: From the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, this is CLINICAL CENTER RADIO.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue, similar to that found in the lining of the uterus, is found elsewhere in the body – most often in the pelvic region.  Scientists at the NIH Clinical Center are conducting a study to examine pelvic pain caused by endometriosis and explore better approaches to treatment.  Dr. Pamela Stratton with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the NIH is the lead investigator.

STRATTON: This particular study is actually looking at how the pain is related to endometriosis.  Most of the time, if you talk to women who have pain and endometriosis, they use the word “endometriosis” when they really mean “pain”.  I’m trying to tease apart the relation between the pain and endometriosis and better understand what causes that pain.  And then we can tackle treatments related to that.

SCHMALFELDT: Dr. Stratton said there’s one part of the study protocol that might seem a bit odd at first to folks who think of Botox injections only in terms of a cosmetic treatment.

STRATTON: We’re offering women – it’s going to sound a little crazy – but it’s Botox in the pelvic floor.  Because in my experience a lot of these women have profound muscle spasm in the pelvic floor, and it’s part of why they have pain with intercourse, chronic daily pain.  We inject Botox in the muscles with a neurologist present.  The neurologist actually helps confirm that we’re putting the Botox into the muscle because there are a lot of tissues there.  The experiment we’re doing is that some of the women we’re injecting with saline and some of the women we’re injecting with Botox.  And then, after a month, we’re offering everyone Botox treatment, because we really want to be able to confirm that Botox is helpful.  And I say this, because before I even wanted to study this, we tried it in three women who were really suffering tremendously and it helped for nearly a year after the injection.  It really helped them even function better on many levels.

SCHMALFELDT: Women between 18 and 50 years of age who have endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, or chronic pelvic pain without endometriosis, as well as healthy volunteers with neither chronic pelvic pain nor endometriosis who are willing to have their tubes tied may be eligible to participate in this study.  Candidates will be screened with a questionnaire to obtain information about their pain and previous treatments and related medical or social issues.  If you would like more information about clinical trials, log on to  http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov, or e-mail prpl@mail.cc.nih.gov.  You may also call, toll free, 1-866-999-5553.  From America’s Clinical Research Hospital, this has been CLINICAL CENTER RADIO.  In Bethesda, Maryland, I’m Bill Schmalfeldt at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

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