ELECTRE is a single-center, randomized, prospective, longitudinal, controlled, two-arm, single-blind study lasting 4 weeks (P1 investigation phase) after a 4-week run-in period. The study is followed by a 4-week extension phase (P2) in which all participants will be treated with active TENS. Randomization will be balanced according to a 1:1 ratio.
* Endometriosis is defined by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. It affects 6% to 10% of women of childbearing age. Depending on its location, a distinction is made between superficial endometriosis, adenomyosis, and deep endometriosis. The potential mechanisms of endometriosis are still under discussion. * Endometriosis is accompanied by a painful triad combining dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. * Pain requires treatment due to its multiple impacts in terms of quality of life, anxiety, depression, loss of productivity at work, and absenteeism. * Approximately one-third of women with endometriosis continue to suffer despite medical treatment. * The pain of endometriosis is multifactorial, involving inflammatory, nociceptive, neuropathic, neurovascular, myofascial, and hormonal mechanisms. The recurrence of endometriosis-related pain means that it must be considered a chronic pain syndrome leading to peripheral and central neural sensitization. The intensity of the pain is not correlated with the severity of the disease. * Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive, easy-to-use, well-tolerated, self-administered technique widely used for its analgesic effect in acute and chronic pain. Several studies have suggested the effectiveness of TENS in the management of pelvic pain related to endometriosis, but they are of uneven quality. * Evaluating the effectiveness of TENS in the management of endometriosis-related pain under the best methodological conditions remains essential.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
92
Every TENS treatment lasts for 45 minutes
Every TENS treatment lasts for 45 minutes
IFEM Endo, Clinique Tivoli-Ducos
Bordeaux, France
Change in the mean value of average pain
Change in the mean value of average pain over the previous 24 hours, measured daily during the P1 investigation phase (between D1 and D28±2), compared with the run-in period (between D-35 and D-8). Participants will assess their average pain over the past 24 hours on a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) every day. The average of these daily values will be calculated over the run-in period (between D-35 and D-8), during the P1 investigation phase (between D1 and D28±2), and during the P2 extension phase (between D29±2 and D56±2). The visual analog scale will be available on the data collection tool/website provided and accessible throu PC, tablet or smartphone. The VAS is presented as a 100 mm horizontal line with no boundaries, marked at the left end with "no pain" and at the other end with "worst pain imaginable." Repeated pain measurements during the run-in period will provide a reliable baseline value that takes into account daily variations.
Time frame: 56 days
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