All you need to know about pelvic pain

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with highly esteemed Woking and Chertsey-based consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Mr Matthew Erritty, to find out what the most common causes and symptoms of pelvic pain are.

What are the symptoms of pelvic pain, and which is the most common?

The symptoms of pelvic pain can be very varied. They can either present themselves as one specific symptom in isolation or can present themselves as a multitude of symptoms. The most common symptoms in women that I see include the following:

• period pain
• painful sexual intercourse
• pain passing urine
• pain when opening the bowels

What are the main causes of pelvic pain?

There are many different causes of pelvic pain, some of which are from a gynaecological origin, and some which aren’t. It is very important for a pelvic pain specialist to consider all of the potential causes of pelvic pain. Narrowing down the possibilities requires a careful examination of the patient’s medical history, followed by a thorough physical examination and imaging.

Pain that is very acute might point towards an ovarian cyst problem, a urinary tract infection, or appendicitis. Pain that is chronic and long-standing, however, is more likely to be related to endometriosis or irritable bowel syndrome.

What other conditions can be related to pelvic pain?

For anyone presenting with pelvic pain, it’s very important to firstly consider any red flags. These red flags are symptoms that might indicate an underlying malignancy, which can sometimes be extremely subtle. These symptoms would often be nausea and/or bloating.

Then, there might be more obvious abnormalities such as weight loss and/or bleeding. So, it really is crucial to consider individual patients’ characteristics such as age and menopausal status.

When should someone be concerned about pelvic pain?

People should be concerned if the pelvic pain is very acute and severe, which might lead to a surgical emergency being considered. This could be something like an ovarian torsion or appendicitis.

Patients should, of course, also seek medical attention If the pelvic pain is longer-term and associated with red-flag symptoms. If one’s quality of life is being affected, then this is undoubtedly a sign that an individual suffering from pelvic pain should get it checked out.

What are the most effective treatments for pelvic pain?

The cause must be identified first before the patient’s treatment plan is set out. Antibiotics will, almost always, treat pelvic inflammatory disease, but a surgical drainage may be required in the event where that inflammation becomes a pelvic abscess.

Mr Matthew Erritty is a highly experienced and skilled consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who specialises in pelvic pain. Visit his Top Doctors profile today to schedule an appointment with him if you are suffering from any form of pelvic pain.