Pelvic Pain in Adolescents

Smorgick N, Noam Smorgick, Sawsan As-Sanie, Sawsan As‐Sanie
Seminars in reproductive medicine · 2018 · vol. 36(02) , pp. 116–122 · doi:10.1055/s-0038-1676088 · PMID:30566977 · W2905054452
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review outlines a systematic approach to evaluating and treating dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain in adolescents, considering gynecologic, nongynecologic, and psychosocial factors.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 · read from full text ⓘ

This paper is a review describing a systematic approach to evaluating and managing dysmenorrhea and noncyclic chronic pelvic pain in adolescents, considering gynecologic causes such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, and reproductive tract obstruction as well as non-gynecologic etiologies like irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and myofascial pain. It emphasizes that adolescent chronic pelvic pain management can be more complex than in adults because counseling involves both the teen and parents and must account for long-term emotional and physical health, fertility, and sexuality, and notes associations with depression and anxiety where psychosocial counseling is important. A stated limitation is that this is not primary research but a narrative/systems review that synthesizes existing literature without presenting new adolescent patient outcomes. Relevance to endometriosis: endometriosis is explicitly listed among key gynecologic conditions in the evaluation framework for adolescent dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain, though the paper’s main focus is a broad diagnostic and management approach for adolescent pelvic pain.

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Abstract

Dysmenorrhea and noncyclic pelvic pain (chronic pelvic pain) are common in adolescents. The evaluation of teens with dysmenorrhea or chronic pelvic pain is aimed to diagnose possible gynecologic conditions (endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, and obstruction of the reproductive tract) and nongynecologic conditions (irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and myofascial pain). The management of chronic pelvic pain in adolescents is often more complex than in adult women because both the adolescent and her parents are counseled and addressed, and her long-term emotional and physical health, fertility, and sexuality are considered. Dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain are often associated with depression and anxiety in adolescents. Thus, psychosocial counseling plays an important role in the management of these patients. This review will present a systematic approach to the evaluation and treatment of dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain in adolescents.
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Abstract

Dysmenorrhea and noncyclic pelvic pain (chronic pelvic pain) are common in adolescents. The evaluation of teens with dysmenorrhea or chronic pelvic pain is aimed to diagnose possible gynecologic conditions (endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, and obstruction of the reproductive tract) and nongynecologic conditions (irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and myofascial pain). The management of chronic pelvic pain in adolescents is often more complex than in adult women because both the adolescent and her parents are counseled and addressed, and her long-term emotional and physical health, fertility, and sexuality are considered. Dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain are often associated with depression and anxiety in adolescents. Thus, psychosocial counseling plays an important role in the management of these patients. This review will present a systematic approach to the evaluation and treatment of dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain in adolescents. -

References

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Condition tags

dysmenorrheaendometriosischronic_pelvic_paininterstitial_cystitisirritable_bowel_syndrome

MeSH descriptors

Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Adolescent Diagnosis, Differential Female Humans Medical History Taking Medical History Taking Physical Examination Physical Examination Severity of Illness Index

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