Pelvic pain occurs mostly in the lower abdomen area. The pain might be steady, or it might come and go. If the pain is severe, it might get in the way of your daily activities.
If you're a woman, you might feel a dull pain during your period. It could also happen during sex. Pelvic pain can be a sign that there is a problem with one of the organs in your pelvic area, such as the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix or vagina. It could also be a symptom of infection, or a problem with the urinary tract, lower intestines, rectum, muscle or bone. If you're a man, the cause is often a problem with the prostate.
You might have to undergo a lot of medical tests to find the cause of the pain. The treatment will depend on the cause, how bad the pain is and how often it occurs.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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Pelvic Pain
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Pelvic_Pain.cfm
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Chronic Pelvic Pain(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/033.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/033.printerview.html
- Chronic Pelvic Pain(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chronic-pelvic-pain/DS00571/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Chronic Pelvic Pain Getting Help(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Pelvic_GettingHelp.asp
- Non-Surgical Procedure Is Effective Treatment for Painful Ovarian Varicose Veins(Society of Interventional Radiology) - http://www.sirweb.org/patients/chronic-pelvic-pain/
- Pelvic Pain Treatment Options(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/TreatmentOptionsContinuum_PelvicPain.asp
- Chronic Pelvic Pain Myths and Misconceptions(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Pelvic_Myths.asp
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Pelvic Pain(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Pelvic+Pain%22
- Article: Patterns of prescription and self-medication for treating primary dysmenorrhea in... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18605257&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The efficacy of etoricoxib vs mefenamic acid in the treatment... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18604680&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Information from your family doctor. Chronic pelvic pain: what you... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18581834&tool=MedlinePlus
- Pelvic Pain -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=pelvic+pain[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
- Chronic Pelvic Pain Fast Facts(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Pelvic_FastFacts.asp
- Abdominal Pain - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/abdominalpain.html
- Female Sexual Dysfunction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalesexualdysfunction.html
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Sexual Health Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexualhealthissues.html
- Symptoms - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/symptoms.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Pelvic Pain is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/