Chronic pelvic pain

Philip Zinn
In: South African Family Practice · 2015 · vol. 57(4) , pp. 5 · doi:10.4102/safp.v57i4.4336 · W2795645596
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This paper defines chronic pelvic pain as lasting over six months, highlights its multifocal nature involving gynecological and other systems, and identifies endometriosis as a common cause often misdiagnosed and poorly managed.

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This review article defines chronic pelvic pain as discomfort in the pelvis lasting more than six months, potentially involving gynecological, urinary, gastrointestinal, vascular, neural, or musculoskeletal structures. The authors note that the condition is frequently multifocal and may stem from various causes such as vulvodynia, endometriosis, bladder pain syndrome, or irritable bowel syndrome, which are often misdiagnosed. Although an initial triggering event like infection or surgery might be described, it is not always relevant to the ongoing pain experience. Relevance to endometriosis: listed as one of the common causes of chronic pelvic pain in women, though the paper's main focus is the broader clinical management of pelvic pain rather than endometriosis specifically.

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Abstract

Chronic pelvic pain is defined as pain in the pelvis lasting for more than six months (some say three). The pain may be experienced in any of the structures of the pelvis, including the gynaecological organs; the lower urinary and gastrointestinal tract; and the vascular, neural and musculoskeletal systems. The pain can be continual, cyclical, provoked or unprovoked, and is frequently multifocal. A woman who complains of painful sex, for example, may also report vulvovaginal pain and dyspareunia; bladder frequency, urgency and suprapubic pain, as well as irritable bowel symptoms. Although an initiating event is sometimes described, such as an episode of severe “thrush” or cystitis, or following pelvic surgery or childbirth, this initial insult may be long forgotten and no longer relevant. Vulvodynia, endometriosis, bladder pain syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome are common causes of chronic pelvic pain in women but are often misdiagnosed and poorly managed.
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Review Articles Chronic pelvic pain South African Family Practice | Vol 57, No 4 : July/August| a4336 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v57i4.4336 | © Submitted: 12 August 2015 | Published: 01 July 2015 Submitted: 12 August 2015 | Published: 01 July 2015 About the author(s) Philip Zinn,Full Text: PDF (63KB)Abstract Chronic pelvic pain is defined as pain in the pelvis lasting for more than six months (some say three). The pain may be experienced in any of the structures of the pelvis, including the gynaecological organs; the lower urinary and gastrointestinal tract; and the vascular, neural and musculoskeletal systems. The pain can be continual, cyclical, provoked or unprovoked, and is frequently multifocal. A woman who complains of painful sex, for example, may also report vulvovaginal pain and dyspareunia; bladder frequency, urgency and suprapubic pain, as well as irritable bowel symptoms. Although an initiating event is sometimes described, such as an episode of severe “thrush” or cystitis, or following pelvic surgery or childbirth, this initial insult may be long forgotten and no longer relevant. Vulvodynia, endometriosis, bladder pain syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome are common causes of chronic pelvic pain in women but are often misdiagnosed and poorly managed. Keywords chronic pelvic pain; vulvodynia; vulvar vestibulitis; dyspareunia; painful sex; endometriosis Metrics Total abstract views: 2739Total article views: 1688

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindyspareuniairritable_bowel_syndrome

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last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
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