A potentially “vital” new treatment for endometriosis will be trialled in Scotland as part of a £2.3 million study.
The University of Aberdeen, alongside NHS Grampian, will investigate whether a remotely delivered endometriosis-specific Pain Management Programme (e‑PMP) can help women whose pain cannot be controlled by surgery or medication.
The project is the first to test whether an e‑PMP can improve the lives of women with endometriosis.
The condition affects one in 10 women – causing persistent pelvic pain, chronic fatigue, and can impact all aspects of daily life.
There is currently no cure and standard treatments including surgery and hormonal medication often provides only temporary relief.
For those who receive surgery, pain returns in up to half of all women.
During the study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), premenopausal women will either receive the new programme alongside existing standard care, or existing standard care alone, with the results of each approach compared.
The 12‑week programme includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)‑ informed psychotherapy, specialist physiotherapy, guidance on relationships, intimacy, communication, and “self‑compassion and medication optimisation to reduce side effects”.
Dr Lucky Saraswat, lead at the Aberdeen Endometriosis Centre in NHS Grampian and leader of the study, said: “Endometriosis is one of the most common under-researched causes of chronic pain.
“Many women continue to suffer even after surgery or medication.
“This study will help us understand whether a tailored, interdisciplinary pain management programme can offer meaningful, long‑term improvements in quality of life.
“If effective, e‑PMP could become a vital new treatment option, particularly for women who wish to avoid repeated surgery or hormonal therapies, or who are planning a pregnancy.”
Charlotte McCann, 27, from Huntly in Aberdeenshire, is currently living with stage four endometriosis. She said the pain is so bad some days she cannot get out of bed and has lost more than 40lbs in just a few months because she feels too sick to eat.
Ms McCann is currently on a waiting list for specialist care.
She said her symptoms began when she was 14 and have since worsened to the point that she felt she had to abandon her career in corporate finance.
She said: “I would wake up in the night vomiting and I was always worried that maybe my appendix had burst or I had a kidney infection or something like that.
“The pain would come on so strong, I wouldn’t be able to even sit up straight, I wouldn’t be able to stand up.
“It was heavily disrupting my life.
“I couldn’t focus on anything, and I couldn’t sleep or eat because of the pain. There’s no way I could continue my 9 to 5 job when I could barely sit up.
“After years of being on waiting lists and being told they couldn’t find anything wrong I finally got an MRI scan at the beginning of this year and the scan showed I have stage four endometriosis which is now affecting my bladder and has spread to other parts of my body.
“I am now on very strong opioid painkillers to try to get on top of the pain, but they make me feel very sick, to the point I can’t eat, so I have lost a lot of weight now as well.”
Mc McCann said she was “delighted” to hear about a study that could help millions of women suffering from the condition.
Professor Anthony Gordon, director of NIHR’s Health Technology Assessment Programme – which is funding the research, added: “Many women can face years of agonising symptoms with few lasting options. High-quality research is essential to break this cycle and deliver treatment that addresses the full, complex impact of endometriosis.
“By evaluating tailored, non-surgical pain management, this NIHR-funded trial could revolutionise care – providing desperately needed support, improving daily lives, and offering long-term relief when standard treatments haven’t worked.”
Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK, said: “Symptoms of endometriosis including chronic pelvic pain can have a significant impact on someone’s physical and mental health, and research is vital to helping improve management and treatment options.
“We welcome this much-needed research and look forward to working with the team to see how an endometriosis-specific pain management programme could support those with the disease in the future.”