ARTICLE most common cause of chronic pelvic pain . 10 , 20 Chronic pain frequently returns in patients within 12 months of lesion removal , even in the absence of lesion regeneration . 9 It is noted that pain is a multidimensional experience that involves sensory , cognitive , and affective factors . 16 Around 30-50 % of women with endometriosis experience infertility . 6 , 23 Endometriosis has a significant negative impact on the lives of women . 14
Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness techniques are becoming more popular . 24 Meditation places a focus of attention on top-down ( descending pathways from the cerebral cortex ) and bottom-up ( ascending pathways from the periphery ) inner processes . 24 Meditation can effectively reduce stress , 15-17 anxiety , 15 , 16 15 , 16 , 18 , 19
depression , chronic pain , chronic pelvic pain , fibromyalgia , migraine , 16 heart rate variability , 24 and post-traumatic stress disorder . 19 Meditation has been found to improve mood , 16 cognition , 16 , 17 attention , 17 , 24 creativity , 24 self-awareness , 17 present-moment awareness , 17 16 , 18
and quality of life . Neuroscientific research repeatedly shows varying and shifting brain activation and deactivation patterns during and following meditative states . 24 Fronto-limbic networks of the brain involved in regulating emotion and stress processes show a variety of patterns of engagement by mindfulness meditation . 17 The anterior cingulate cortex of the brain , the region associated with attention , shows changes in activity and / or structure in response to mindfulness meditation . 17 Mindfulness techniques can be applied in everyday situations as well as stressful situations . 15
Conclusion
Endometriosis is a chronic multifactorial complex disease that has significant impacts on physical , mental , and emotional health . Meditation may be beneficial in the management of endometriosis via improving depression , anxiety , chronic pain , and inflammation . The need for more research is suggested to further investigate the benefits of meditation in endometriosis .
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