Why You Shouldn't Ignore Chronic Pelvic Pain

Most everyone experiences pelvic pain on occasion, and it’s often not a big deal. When symptoms linger or become severe, however, it’s important to seek medical support. 

If you experience pain between your bellybutton and hips that lasts or reoccurs for six months or longer, you may have a medical issue in need of treatment. The sooner you get that help, the sooner you can get on the path to feeling better and enjoying stronger overall health.

Interventional pain specialist Dr. William Yancey at Yancey Pain & Spine in Houston and The Woodlands, Texas, combines his background in biomedical engineering with his meticulous problem-solving approach to diagnose and treat the root cause of chronic pain, with the aim of bringing you long-term relief.

Chronic pelvic pain basics

Pelvic pain affects people differently, depending on the cause and its severity. Chronic pelvic pain can feel intermittent, meaning it comes and goes periodically, or steady and severe. 

For some people, symptoms feel like a dull ache. Others experience symptoms that are more like sharp cramping or pressure and heaviness deep within the pelvis. Chronic pelvic pain can also take the form of painful intercourse, pain during urination or bowel movement, or pain that coincides with sitting for lengthy periods. 

You might find the pain annoying, but tolerable, or so severe that you can’t go about your daily life as usual. 

Causes of chronic pelvic pain

Many factors can fuel chronic pelvic pain, which is one reason seeking medical support is important. Some of the causes include:

• Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, such as from a sexually transmitted disease 
• Complications from a hysterectomy or hernia repair
• Endometriosis, which causes tissue in the uterus lining to grow outside the organ
• Fibroids, or noncancerous uterine growths
• Gynecological cancers, such as ovarian
• Irritable bowel syndrome, which can also cause bloating, diarrhea, or constipation
• Musculoskeletal problems, such as fibromyalgia or pelvic floor tension
• Painful bladder syndrome, which also causes frequent urges to urinate
• Psychological factors, such as anxiety, depression, and sexual trauma history

Why you don’t want to delay care

Seeing your doctor about chronic pelvic pain can bring you worthy relief. That alone is an important reason to seek support. In addition, many causes of chronic pelvic pain can lead to or exacerbate other health problems. 

If endometriosis goes untreated, for example, you can experience fertility problems. Gynecological cancer becomes less treatable over time. And chronic pelvic pain of all sorts can make sexual intimacy unappealing, painful, or less pleasurable and interfere with your emotional well-being. 

At Yancey Pain & Spine, Dr. Yancey and the team take an individualized approach to treating chronic pain. Your plan might include a combination of injections, oral medications, and therapy. 

He also provides dorsal root ganglion stimulation for pelvic pain and interstitial cystitis. This procedure uses mild electrical impulses to stimulate neurons for reduced pain.

To learn more about chronic pelvic pain or get the care you need, call the Houston or The Woodlands, Texas, office of Yancey Pain & Spine or request an appointment with Dr. Yancey online. You can also send our team a message here on the website.