Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is one of the most common medical problems affecting women today. It is estimated that 14.7% of women in their reproductive ages reported chronic pelvic pain. Extrapolating to the total female population gave an estimate of 9.2 million women suffering from CPP in the United States alone. The diagnosis and treatment of CPP accounts for 10% of all outpatient gynecological visit and 40% of all laproscopic surgeries. Chronic pelvic pain is listed as the indication for 12-16% of hysterectomies performed in the United States, accounting for 80,000 procedures annually.

Chronic prostatitis is the most common urological diagnosis in men older than 50 years and is the third most common diagnosis in men younger than 50 years. This diagnosis results in at least 2 million office visits per year. The average urologist sees approximately 10 prostatitis patients per month, 30% of whom are new patients. Specific urinary pathogens are detected infrequently after culture. The vast majority of these patients are categorized as having chronic nonbacterial prostatitis or prostatodynia, otherwise known as Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) in the male.

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) and male chronic pelvic pain syndrome (MCPPS) are also highly prevalent in the general population. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that approximately 700,00 females in the United States are afflicted with IC. If males were considered this estimate may be as high as million.