Pelvic Pain

Summary

Pelvic pain occurs mostly in the lower abdomen area. The pain might be steady, or it might come and go. It can be a sharp and stabbing pain in a specific spot, or a dull pain that is spread out. If the pain is severe, it might get in the way of your daily activities.

If you’re a woman, you might feel pain during your period. It could also happen when you have 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. If you’re a man, the cause could be problem with the prostate. In men and women, it could be a symptom of infection, or a problem with the urinary tract, lower intestines, rectum, muscle, or bone. Some women have more than one cause of pelvic pain at the same time.

You might have to have lab, imaging, or other 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.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Specifics

• Chronic Pelvic Pain American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pelvic Pain National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pudendal Neuralgia National Institutes of Health

Encyclopedia

• Culdocentesis Medical Encyclopedia
• Diagnostic laparoscopy Medical Encyclopedia
• Mittelschmerz Medical Encyclopedia
• Pelvic CT scan Medical Encyclopedia
• Pelvic laparoscopy Medical Encyclopedia
• Pelvic ultrasound – abdominal Medical Encyclopedia
• Transvaginal ultrasound Medical Encyclopedia

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Diagnosis and Tests

• How Is Pelvic Pain Diagnosed? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Laparoscopy National Library of Medicine
• Pelvic Exam Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Pelvis Ultrasound Radiological Society of North America
• Pneumothorax – series — Normal Medical Encyclopedia

Treatments and Therapies

• How Is Pelvic Pain Treated? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Pelvic Venous Disease (pelvic congestion syndrome or chronic pelvic pain) Society of Interventional Radiology

Images

• Pelvic Exam National Cancer Institute

Related Issues

• Pelvic Fractures Merck & Co., Inc.
• Pelvic Pain: Other FAQs Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• Pelvic Pain Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Pudendal Neuralgia Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center

Men

• Prostatitis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Prostatitis: Inflammation of the Prostate National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Journal Articles

• Pelvic Pain

Children

• Ultrasound: Pelvis (For Parents) Nemours Foundation

Symptoms

• What Are the Symptoms of Pelvic Pain? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development