Chronic pelvic pain

Chronic pelvic pain is any pain in or around the pelvis that lasts for more than 6 months, it can affect both men and women and can occur at any age. Chronic pelvic pain can impact every aspect of daily life and can change the way an individual behaves emotionally and physically. It can be extremely isolating as the cause of the pain is rarely visible to others.

There are many possible causes of chronic pelvic pain and the reason for your individual condition should always be discussed with your doctor or pelvic health physiotherapist. They may refer you to other specialists, such as a gynaecologist, urologist, gastroenterologist, psychosexual therapist to understand the underlying reasons for your symptoms.

A range of conditions and factors can lead to chronic pelvic pain, these may include:

• Endometriosis
• Adenomyosis
• Lichen sclerosus
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• A fall or trip (even one which is seemingly innocuous)
• Allergies or irritation
• History of sexual abuse
• Surgery
• Cancer treatments
• Infections
• Childbirth
• Postural problems
• Dermatological conditions

A common cause of pelvic pain is a result of the muscles and nerves within your pelvic floor not working optimally, frequently muscles will spasm when pain is experienced or even anticipated feeding into a further cycle of pain. Frustratingly changes in the way the nerves carry messages can often result in the pain remaining a long time after the initial cause has been identified or even treated. 

Chronic pelvic pain which has a musculoskeletal origin is most commonly treated by a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist. We regularly recommend customers seek help through The Pelvic Pain Network.