Women & Chronic Pelvic Pain

When an individual suffers from a pain that lasts six months or longer it is considered chronic rather than acute. Some women experience chronic pelvic pain, which can be an indication that another disease is present. Pain that is felt below the belly button and which may or may not be associated with a menstrual period is considered a symptom rather than a disease, according to Utdol.com.

Features

• When stricken with chronic pelvic pain, a woman may experience cramping or sharp pains; intermittent pain; an aching sensation; steady and severe pain and a feeling of heaviness or pressure in her pelvis. Additionally, a woman suffering from chronic pelvic pain may get a jolt of pain when she sits down and feel pain when she has a bowel movement and when having sexual intercourse. The pain may get worse when standing for long periods of time. Lying down may provide relief.

Expert Insight

• Chronic pelvic pain can be the result of various conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic, including chronic inflammatory disease, which can result after a long-term infection. This condition is sexually transmitted and can result in scarring of the pelvic organs, which causes pain. Endometriosis, which is a medical condition that results in the uterine lining growing outside of your uterus, can cause pain. Each month when a woman has her menstrual period this tissue thickens and then breaks down as hormones rise and fall. Since the tissue and blood is outside of the uterus it can't exit through your vagina and becomes trapped in the abdomen and results in adhesions, which are bands of scar tissue and cysts.
  Irritable bowel syndrome can result in chronic pelvic pain. Bloating, diarrhea or constipation can result. Fibroids cause sharp pain if they have been denied nutrients and begin to atrophy. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that can crop up in the uterus and result in the sensation of heaviness or pressure.

Other Considerations

• Tension in the pelvic floor muscles can result in muscle spasms, which hurt. Pelvic congestion syndrome is the result of varicose-type veins that are enlarged and that surround the ovaries and uterus. This condition causes pain. Diverticulitis can cause chronic pelvic pain. This condition results when a sac-like protrusion develops in the wall of the intestine. The diverticula can become inflamed, causing constipation, nausea, pain, vomiting and urinary issues.

Types

• When a woman's bladder becomes inflamed and frequent urination occurs this is called interstitial cystitis and it results in pain. Once the urine is released, the pain will subside. Following a complete hysterectomy a small piece of ovary may be left behind which can turn into a painful cyst. This is called an ovarian remnant. Fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain disorder that affects connective tissues, can cause chronic pelvic pain as well as other symptoms.

Stress Induced

• When under stress or duress, the body will react and chronic pelvic pain, as well as other types of body pain, can be the result. Women with depression or who have been sexually abused are apt to experience chronic pelvic pain.

Treatment

• Treatment may include an antibiotic for pelvic inflammatory disease and the use of gonadotropin a hormone releasing agonist to treat endometriosis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications can reduce pain. Some women may be prescribed hormonal birth control so that a regular monthly menstrual period results. Doing pelvic exercises may help reduce the pain. Sometimes surgery is necessary.