Pelvic Pain Syndromes: Pathophysiology

There are many different types of pelvic pain syndromes, with different etiologies and functional consequences. Many of these syndromes are sex specific, while some are common to both women and men. In the present chapter, some of the more commonly known pelvic pain syndromes are discussed. An overview (male and female) of the anatomy of the pelvis, the peripheral innervation of the reproductive organs, and the central pathways that process and convey nociceptive information originating from the pelvic reproductive organs to higher centers is published elsewhere (1-4).