Feasibility of a Mindfulness Intervention for Endometriosis Surgery

Feasibility of a Mindfulness Intervention for Endometriosis Surgery

Endometriosis is a common cause of pelvic pain in women which has been historically under-studied and under-diagnosed. The goal of this research is to pilot-test the feasibility and acceptability of a manualized, single-session brief mindfulness-based intervention (BMBI) among participants with endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain (ECPP) who undergo surgical treatment, and gather preliminary data necessary for future studies assessing BMBI's impact on outcomes in surgically-treated ECPP. This pilot study will enroll 10-20 adult participants with ECPP to receive either a BMBI adjunctive to treatment as usual (TAU; n=5-10) or education with TAU (n=5-10) prior to their ECPP surgery. The central hypothesis is the BMBI is feasible to deliver pre-operatively, acceptable to patients, and may help improve acute post-surgical outcomes through more adaptive stress coping and pain processing, enabled by mindfulness training.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. age 18 years or older
2. diagnosis or probable diagnosis of endometriosis
3. candidate for surgical procedure for endometriosis
4. English speaking
5. have access to wifi and email

Exclusion Criteria:

1. prior formal mindfulness training
2. Unable to consent