Pelvic Pain
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Symptoms
Female
pelvic pain describes pain that affects the lower
abdomen and pelvis. Chronic female pelvic pain is defined as
pelvic pain that has persisted for at least 6 months.
Female pelvic pain
symptoms can include:
- Severe
to mild pain.
- Vague
to sharp pain.
- Severe
menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea).
- Low
backache 1 or 2 days before the start of the menstrual period
(or earlier), subsiding during the period.
- Pain
during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).
- Painful
urination.
- Rectal
pain.
- Pain
during bowel movements.
Female pelvic pain
is typically caused by a medical condition involving the
reproductive organs, the urinary tract, or the lower
gastrointestinal tract. Some causes are always short-term (acute),
and others can become long-lasting (chronic) unless successfully
treated.
Female pelvic pain
can be a difficult-to-solve medical mystery. Experts have yet to
understand all possible causes of pelvic pain, particularly when
it has become chronic. For this reason, some women have chronic
female pelvic pain with no known cause, even after extensive
testing. This does not mean, however, that there is no cause
behind the pain nor that there is no possible treatment.
Chronic pain
with no diagnosable cause
can occur in any part of the body. Long after a disease or injury
has healed, nerves can continue firing pain signals (neuropathic
pain). This is thought to be caused by an overloading of the
nervous system by extreme or long-lasting pain. It also helps
explain why it's fairly common for chronic pelvic pain to have no
obvious cause.
Chronic Female Pelvic Pain
Treatment
Overview
Treatment
for chronic female pelvic pain
can be approached in two ways: treating a known, specific cause of
the pain or treating the pain itself as a medical condition. If
possible, your health professional will combine the two
approaches.
Treatment
of a known or suspected cause of pelvic pain
Based on your
history, pelvic exam, and testing results, your health
professional may find one or more conditions that could be causing
or worsening your pelvic pain, such as endometriosis, irritable
bowel syndrome, or uterine fibroids.
Depending on the cause, your treatment may include:
- Medication
to control or stop the ovulation cycle, if your symptoms seem
to be worsened by cyclic hormonal changes.
- Other
disease-specific medication, such as an antibiotic for
infection or medication for irritable bowel syndrome.
- Cognitive-behavioral
therapy, counseling, or biofeedback.
- Surgery
to remove painful growths, cysts, or tumors. (However, studies
have shown that surgery to remove scar tissue, or adhesions,
does not relieve pain unless the adhesions are severe,
referred to as stage IV adhesions.)
- Healthy
lifestyle choices, such as regular exercise to manage stress
and improve strength, mood, and general health, along with
dietary changes, such as those recommended to manage irritable
bowel syndrome.
Advanced
Pain Medicine
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