The Bladder, The Bowel, The Pelvis – Understanding Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Pelvic Pain is defined as pain in the lower region including the bladder, the bowel, and the pelvis.  Chronic Pelvic Pain refers to pain in the pelvic region that lasts at least six months or longer.  The pain can last years in some cases.

Pelvic Pain can occur for a number of reasons.  Pelvic pain can be a result of a disease, or a condition in itself.  Sometimes the patient may never receive a diagnosis.

Symptoms

There are many symptoms of chronic pelvic pain syndrome.  Patients may experience severe and steady pain in the pelvic region.  The pain can be felt near or in the bladder, bowel, and pelvis.  The pain felt by pelvic pain syndrome might either be constant or intermittent.  The pain felt in the pelvic region may not make sense to the patient or follow a specific schedule.  The pain felt by the patient can be a sharp pain.  The patient may also feel cramping at times.  And at other times the patient may just feel a dull aching in the pelvic region.

In addition to dull aches, one might experience pressure in their pelvic region.  In addition to these pains, one may experience pain while having a bowel movement or urinating.

If you sit or stand for a long time and have pelvic pain.  Also, one may experience pain during sexual intercourse.  One may only experience one or two of these symptoms, while someone may experience many or most of these symptoms.

Causes

In women chronic pelvic pain could be a result of Endometriosis.  This is a thick lining of the uterus wall, and during menstruation this can cause intense pain.  Sometimes the pain can be chronic due to environmental factors.  Cysts could also be a cause of pelvic pain.  Cysts can form on many organs of the body.  The reason for most cyst formation is unknown.  Due to this the treatment is to have them surgically removed.  Pelvic inflammatory disease could also be the cause of chronic pelvic pain.  This results in increased inflammation of the pelvic region.

Also, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can cause pelvic pain.  Irritable Bowel Syndrome cause recurrent pelvic pain.  This pain often comes during bowel movements.  Lastly, Chron’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis can cause chronic pelvic pain.

In either disease the body has trouble digesting foods, and causes inflammation and ulcers to occur in the pelvis.  This can cause intense and chronic pain for the patient.  For these diseases medical attention is needed right away.

Doctor Visit

Choosing when to see a doctor for the pain is important.  Any pain that has no direct explanation should be brought to the attention of a medical professional.  If the pain interrupts your daily life, it is important to see a doctor.  The doctor will be able to properly diagnose and treat any pelvic pain you may be experiencing.

This will help get you back to a normal daily life as soon as possible. If the pain is being caused by a serious disease delaying seeing a doctor and starting treatment could be detrimental to your health.  Seeking medical attention will help your overall health.

Treatment

Treatment for chronic pelvic pain varies from patient to patient.  Because not every patient experiences the same symptoms, not every treatment will work effectively.  Medication is widely used to help patients with chronic pelvic syndrome.

Steroids can be used to help lower inflammation in the pelvic region that commonly causes discomfort.  In the case of cysts, doctors often surgically remove them.  In some cases the cysts resolve themselves and disappear.

In this cause doctors monitor the patient and make sure the cyst does not grow but rather shrinks and eventually will disappear.  If the pain is caused by an infection antibiotic may be used to treat the infection.  As the infection is cured so will the chronic pelvic pain.

In some cases if the pelvic pain is unknown your doctor may prescribe pain medication to help you continue with your daily activities.  Because pelvic pain is specific to each patient the doctor will develop a plan specific to your situation and cause of pelvic pain.

Pelvic pain may be caused for a variety of reasons.  An important part of understanding pelvic pain is that it may be caused for a variety of reasons that should ultimately be seen by a doctor.  The pelvic may be minor or a serious condition.  Regardless of what level your pelvic pain is at see a doctor to determine the cause and seek treatment.