Inflammation and Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Biological Trigger for Depression in Women?

Depression, once considered a major psychological disorder is now evolving into a more biologically-oriented pathophysiologic description [1,2]. While depression can, no doubt, be provoked by psychoemotional factors (personal, relational and/or context-dependent), the identification of the underling biologically-mediated nervous and systemic changes is important to properly manage it [3]. Depression is often associated with local or systemic diseases [4,5]. Peripheral organ inflammation and neuroinflammation can alter neuronal activity both within and outside the brain, thereby contributing to the psychoemotional and somatic symptoms of depression [2,4].