Pelvic Pain: Causes and Treatments

Pelvic pain is a common problem affecting women and can be caused by a variety of factors including painful menstruation, pelvic joint instability, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), sexually transmitted diseases, ovarian cysts and cancer. Before prescribing any type of treatment for pelvic pain, it is important to first accurately diagnose the cause of the pain.

There are a variety of methods that can be used to diagnose the cause of pelvic pain including physical examinations, patient interviews, blood tests, stool tests, laparoscopy, X-rays, ultrasounds and CT Scans.  In some cases, it may take a combination of some of these methods to accurately pinpoint the source of the problem.

Once the cause of pelvic pain has been identified, there are a variety of treatments that can be used to reduce or eliminate your pain and other symptoms including anti-inflammatory medications, hormonal treatments and surgery.  If your pelvic pain is due to painful menstruation, anti-inflammatory medications and/or hormonal treatments are usually sufficient in treating the pain. If your pelvic pain is caused by PID, antibiotics may be prescribed to treat the infection. In more serious cases of PID, surgery may be required. If your pelvic pain is due to endometriosis, anti-inflammatory medications or birth control hormones may be used to reduce your symptoms. In more serious cases of endometriosis, surgery may be required.  Pelvic pain caused by ovarian cysts can also be treated using hormones to shrink the cysts or, in more serious cases, surgery may be required to remove them. Treatments for different types of gynecologic cancers will vary depending on the type and stage of the cancer but may include surgery and/or chemotherapy and radiation.

If you are experiencing pelvic pain and are not aware of the cause, visit your OBGYN as soon as possible to obtain an accurate diagnoses. Once the cause of your pelvic pain has been identified, your doctor can prescribe the appropriate treatment or treatments to help you get relief.