Your pelvic area holds your ovaries, uterus, bladder, and other organs, so pain in this area can be due to many reasons. Pelvic pain indicates that you may need a GYN evaluation.
If you suffer pelvic pain, here are some things the expert OB/GYN team at FemmPro OB/GYN wants you to know. Consider these questions to determine if you should seek our help for your pelvic pain.
Pelvic pain can show up in many ways. You may notice yours is severe and steady, intermittent, or dull and achy. Other women experience pelvic pain that’s sharp and crampy. Pelvic pain can also feel like heaviness or pressure in the pelvic area.
Report the characteristics of your pelvic pain to us at your appointment. It can help us narrow down a possible cause.
Chronic pelvic pain lasts six months or longer. Chronic pain may indicate pelvic muscle pain or uterine fibroids, benign growths in the uterus.
Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, often caused by a prior sexually transmitted disease, and vulvodynia are other possible causes of chronic genital pain.
Sometimes, pelvic pain worsens with abdominal exercises or sexual intercourse. Pain that occurs when you’re passing urine may indicate a urinary tract infection. If you get relief from pelvic pain by passing a bowel movement or gas, you may suffer IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
If you have pelvic pain around the time of your period, it could be the cramps that occur when your uterus contracts to evacuate the uterine lining. But, if your cramping and pain last longer than a day or two, or if it doesn’t improve with over-the-counter pain medications or hormonal birth control, it’s recommended that you come to FemmPro OB/GYN for an evaluation.
When you come in for your appointment, we’ll ask all about your symptoms. We may also run blood tests, a urine test, a pregnancy test or CT or MRI of the pelvis.
Depending on the nature of your pelvic pain, we may also recommend getting a cell culture from the cervix with a simple swab, and an ultrasound.
Pain that occurs around the time of your period, but lasts for more than a few days or is severe may indicate endometriosis, an overgrowth of the uterine lining. This misplaced uterine tissue can end up outside your uterus but still cause bleeding around your cycle. However, the tissue doesn’t have an easy exit and causes pain and discomfort.
When the cause of pelvic pain cannot be readily determined with screenings and imaging tests, we may recommend diagnostic laparoscopic surgery. This minimally invasive procedure involves making a small incision in your abdomen and inserting a thin tube with a camera and a light to investigate potential issues like endometriosis.
Your treatment is specific to the cause of your pelvic pain. Over-the-counter and sometimes prescription pain relievers can ease pelvic pain symptoms, but don’t usually cure it.
We may suggest hormone treatments with birth control or hormonal medications to help with pelvic pain associated with your menstrual cycle. Infections are treated with antibiotics. Sometimes, you benefit from physical therapy, psychological therapy, or trigger point injections.
If uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, or endometriosis are the cause of your pain, surgery may be required.
If you suffer from pelvic pain, trust the expert providers at FemmPro OB/GYN in Garden City, New York & North Massapequa, New York, to help you find the cause and get relief. Call one of our offices today or use the online tool to set up an appointment.
