The Sleep-pain Relationship in Women with Endometriosis

Understanding Endometriosis-related Symptoms and Their Relationship to Sleep

The goal of this study is to examine the sleep-pain relationship in women diagnosed with endometriosis, by monitoring different symptoms of endometriosis and sleep through an experience sample method study (ESM).The main question it aims to answer is:

How does sleep impact cyclic and chronic pain and vice versa in women with endometriosis?

Participants will be asked to fill in a 6-item diary (twice a day) over the course of 2 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult premenopausal women with a laparoscopic and histopathological diagnosis of endometriosis, without a history of hysterectomy, experiencing cyclic or chronic pelvic pain for 3 months or longer, with pain intensity of at least 3 out of 10 over the past 3 months, experiencing non-restorative sleep (defined as a subjective feeling of being unrefreshed up-on awakening) for 3 months or longer, in the absence of elevated risk for intrinsic sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome), and having sufficient knowledge of either French, Dutch, or English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants younger than 18 years old, without laparoscopic and histopathological diagnosis of endometriosis, participants with a hysterectomy or pain intensity lower than 3/10, with restorative sleep or sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, shift work and insufficient knowledge of either French, Dutch or English.