Pain in the pelvic area is a fairly common occurrence. In most cases, it is harmless and quickly passes by itself. However, pelvic pain can be triggered by certain diseases and infections. Sometimes they are only part of a series of symptoms that seem to be not related to each other. In this article, we gathered six causes of pelvic pain you shouldn’t ignore.
1. Periods
Cramps and painful sensations during periods are quite common for women of the reproductive age. Despite the fact that mild pain during periods can be considered normal, severe cramps can manifest a dangerous underlying condition. If you experience pain during menstruation that lasts more than three days, it is better to visit your gynecologist. Moreover, if the pain is accompanied by heavy bleeding or other symptoms, it could require immediate medical attention.
2. Uterine fibroids
Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that grow inside the uterus. This condition affects many women of reproductive age. Uterine fibroids don’t cause ovarian cancer and almost never turn into cancerous tumors.
Uterine fibroids occur in 3 out of 4 women during life, but in most cases, women actually don’t know about fibroids, since most often they are asymptomatic. However, some women with fibroids report that they experience pain and spotting. In case of a sudden, sharp pelvic pain or heavy menstruation, emergency fibroids treatment is required.
3. Ovarian cyst rupture
An ovarian cyst is a capsule inside or on the surface of the ovary. Many women develop ovarian cysts throughout life. In most cases, cysts are harmless, cause only slight discomfort. After a few months, the cyst usually disappears on their own without medical intervention.
An ovarian cyst rupture can lead to serious complications. Cyst rupture is usually accompanied by severe pelvic pain, nausea, and fever. In this case, you should visit an emergency room as soon as possible.
4. UTI
Urinary tract infections (UTI) is a condition that usually causes problems with urination. UTI can affect your kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. However, UTI often affects only the bladder and the urethra. The most common types of UTI include cystitis and urethritis.
You can experience a burning sensation, cutting pelvic pain, and frequent urination with UTI. Most of these infections are caused by bacteria. If left untreated, they multiply and can lead to irreversible lesions of the bladder.
5. Endometriosis
Endometriosis is one of the most common diseases of the reproductive system in women. This is a condition when the endometrium begins to grow in other organs. Most often, proliferation occurs in the Fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, and intestines.
Even if the endometrium grows in other parts of the body, it still continues its work during the menstrual cycle. There is an increase in the endometrium, cell division, and monthly bleeding. Since blood is not removed from the newly formed foci of the endometrium, it accumulates and can lead to inflammation of the surrounding tissues, pelvic pain, and even infertility.
The accumulation of blood and inflammation often causes the appearance of a cyst, scar tissue, and the formation of adhesions that can lead to organs fusion.
6. PID
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a condition that affects a woman’s reproductive system. Depending on the infectious pathogen that caused the disease, PID is divided into inflammatory processes of a specific and non-specific etiology. The first group includes sexually transmitted diseases. The second group includes diseases caused mainly by staphylococci, Escherichia coli, and streptococci.
Many women with PID don’t experience any special signs and symptoms of the disease. The asymptomatic inflammatory process is most often caused by chlamydia. In such cases, PID is diagnosed when examining a woman for infertility or chronic pain in the pelvic area.
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