The causes of pelvic pain among women may differ thus the symptoms that come with it may not be the same on every case. Nonetheless, pelvic pain among women is still a very mysterious condition among experts today and sometimes they cannot find out its root cause. Here are some of the most common causes of pelvic pain among women and the symptoms that accompany them.
One of the most prevalent causes of pelvic pain among women is reproductive system conditions of a person. These issues include cervical stenosis, pelvic infection, pelvic congestion syndrome, pelvic joint instability, adenomyosis, uterin fibroids, endometriosis, vulvodynia, and primary dysmenorrhea.
Primary dysmenorrhea is experienced by about more than 50% of women during menstruation due to the release of prostaglandins, making the uterus contract.
Vulvodinia meanwhile is the pain experienced in the vulva that lasts up to three months or more.
Endemetriosis is marked by a growth of the lining of the uterus outside of the uterus which brings severe pain during sex or menstruation.
Another one of the causes of pelvic pain among women is the formation of scar tissue in the pelvic area. This may be a result of pelvic infection or after a pelvic surgery.
Some causes of pelvic pain may not be gender specific. For instance, irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic condition that has pelvic pain as one of its symptoms. Another example is interstitial cystitis which is a chronic bladder condition that is exemplified by an irritated or inflamed bowel. Both of these conditions have unknown causes and that is why many doctors find it hard to treat this kind of pelvic pain.
One of the unusual causes of pelvic pain among women is sexual or physical abuse. Research findings indicate that about half of women with chronic pelvic pain have undergone sexual or physical abuse. Although it is still unknown why this occurs, what is apparent is that psychological trauma is a significant factor here.
Moreover, even after patients get treatment for the underlying cause of the pelvic pain, there are still instances when the affected nerves keep on sending pain signals. This is known as neuropathic pain and it is also one of the primary reasons is so challenging to treat.