Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing pain, inflammation, and sometimes infertility. It affects roughly one in ten women of reproductive age. Current treatment relies on hormonal suppression, pain management, and surgery to remove visible lesions, but symptoms often return.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing GnRH antagonists that lower estrogen without triggering menopause-like side effects, drugs that target nerve pathways driving pain, and approaches to preserving fertility. Researchers are also studying whether endometriosis shares mechanisms with inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, which could open new treatment routes.
GnRH antagonists
Newer drugs like elagolix and relugolix lower estrogen enough to suppress endometriosis but cause fewer hot flashes and bone loss than older GnRH agonists. Studies are testing whether they can be used longer-term.
Non-hormonal pain targets
Some trials are testing drugs that block nerve growth factor or inflammatory signals driving pain, aiming to relieve symptoms without shutting down ovarian function. This could help people who can't tolerate hormonal treatment or want to conceive.
Biomarker research
Researchers are looking for blood or imaging markers that could diagnose endometriosis without surgery. Earlier diagnosis might allow treatment before severe scarring develops.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on whether endometriosis has been confirmed by surgery, pain severity, prior treatments tried, and whether you're trying to conceive.
What types of trials are currently open
- Hormonal treatment trials — Testing new GnRH antagonists, progestins, or combined approaches to suppress endometriosis with fewer side effects than current options.
- Pain management trials — Testing non-hormonal drugs that target pain pathways, including nerve growth factor inhibitors and inflammatory mediators.
- Surgical technique studies — Comparing different surgical approaches to remove endometriosis lesions and studying whether complete excision leads to longer-lasting relief.
- Fertility trials — Testing treatments that preserve or improve fertility in women with endometriosis, often in combination with assisted reproduction.
- Natural history studies — Following women with endometriosis over time to understand how the disease progresses and what predicts response to treatment.
Recently added Endometriosis trials
Combined TECAR/EMS Therapy vs. Standard Manual Therapy for Endometriosis Pelvic Pain
This study compares two ways of delivering a combined radiofrequency (RET), muscle stimulation (Hi-EMS), and pulsed radiofrequency (Hi-TENS) therapy, hands-on by a physical therapist or hands-free using adhesive pads, and compares the combined therapy to hands-on manual therapy alone for pelvic pain in women with endometriosis. Participants attend 8 sessions over 6 weeks.
Postoperative Pain Trajectories After Endometriosis Surgery
The pain associated with endometriosis reflects a multifactorial pathophysiology combining peripheral nociception, central sensitisation and psychosocial factors. Although surgery is an integral part of treatment, a significant proportion of patients experience persistent pain several months after the procedure. To date, postoperative pain trajectories after endometriosis surgery remain poorly characterised, and there are no reliable predictors of chronic postoperative pain (CPP). This prospective, single-centre, longitudinal study aims to identify distinct postoperative pain trajectories and to assess whether perioperative quantitative sensory testing can predict the development of chronic postoperative pain at 3 and 6 months. Patients will undergo perioperative mechanical and pressure tests, including assessment of temporal summation and pressure pain thresholds, combined with validated measures of patient- reported outcomes. Follow-up assessments will be conducted on day 2, day 14, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery to capture the dynamic evolution of pain, quality of life, fatigue, sexual function, and central sensitisation symptoms.
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