Chronic Pelvic Pain

To figure out what’s causing your chronic pelvic pain, your healthcare team asks you about your symptoms. You’ll also answer questions about health conditions that you and your blood relatives, such as parents and siblings, have had over the years.

Your care team may ask you to keep a journal of your pain and other symptoms. This can help you describe the effect that the pain has on your daily life.

You also might need tests or exams such as:

• Pelvic exam. This can find symptoms of illnesses, unusual growths or tense pelvic floor muscles. Your healthcare professional checks for areas that feel tender. Speak up if you feel any pain during this exam, especially if it feels like the pain you’ve had lately. And if the exam makes you anxious, you can ask your care professional to stop at any time.
• Lab tests. These can check for illnesses such as chlamydia or gonorrhea. You also may need a blood test to measure your blood cells or a urine test to check for a urinary tract infection.
• Ultrasound. This test uses sound waves to make pictures of tissues, organs and other parts inside the body. It can help find growths or cysts in the ovaries, uterus or fallopian tubes.
• Other imaging tests. You might need computerized tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These imaging tests can help find growths or other unusual structures inside the body.
• Laparoscopy. During this surgery, a small cut is made in the stomach area. A thin tube with a small camera is placed through the cut. The camera lets your surgeon look at your pelvic organs and check for unusual tissues or infections. This procedure can help find and treat problems such as endometriosis and chronic pelvic inflammatory disease.

Finding the cause of chronic pelvic pain can take time. A clear reason for the pain may never be found. Talk openly with your healthcare team during this process. Work together to find a treatment plan that helps you live well with as little pain as possible.