Pelvic pain

Key takeaways

Pelvic pain belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pelvic pain to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pelvic pain from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pelvic pain is pain in the area of the pelvis. Acute pain is more common than chronic pain. If the pain lasts for more than six months, it is deemed to be chronic pelvic pain. It can affect both the male and female pelvis. Common causes in include: endometriosis in women, bowel adhesions, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. The cause may also be a number of poorly understood conditions that may represent abnormal psychoneuromuscular function, such as pelvic floor dysfunction. The role of the nervous system in the genesis and moderation of pain is explored. The importance of psychological factors is discussed, both as a primary cause of pain and as a factor which affects the pain experience. As with other chronic syndromes, the biopsychosocial model offers a way of integrating physical causes of pain with psychological and social factors.

Terminology Pelvic pain is a general term that may have many causes, listed below. The sub-categorical term urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS) is an umbrella term adopted for use in research into urologic pain syndromes associated with the male and female pelvis. UCPPS specifically refers to chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) in men and interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) in women.

Cause Genital pain and pelvic pain can arise from a variety of conditions, crimes, trauma, medical treatments, physical diseases, mental illness and infections.

Female Many different conditions can cause female pelvic pain including:

Related to pregnancy Pelvic girdle pain Ectopic pregnancy—a pregnancy implanted outside the uterus. Gynecologic (from more common to less common) Dysmenorrhea — pain during the menstrual period. Endometriosis — pain caused by uterine tissue that is outside the uterus. Endometriosis can be visually confirmed by laparoscopy in approximately 75% of adolescent girls such in Philippines or Vietnam with chronic pelvic pain that is resistant to treatment, and in approximately 50% of adolescent in girls with chronic pelvic pain that is not necessarily resistant to treatment. Pelvic inflammatory disease—pain caused by damage from infections. Adenomyosis — Adenomyosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of cells that build up the inside of the uterus (endometrium) atypically located within the cells that put up the uterine wall (myometrium), as a result, thickening of the uterus occurs. Pelvic congestion syndrome — also known as pelvic vein incompetence, is a long term condition believed to be due to enlarged veins in the lower abdomen. Polycystic ovary syndrome —PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Ovarian cysts — the ovary produces a large, painful cyst, which may rupture. Asherman's syndrome — (AS) is an acquired uterine condition that occurs when scar tissue (adhesions) form inside the uterus and/or the cervix. Ovarian torsion — the ovary is twisted in a way that interferes with its blood supply. (pain on one side only) Pudendal nerve entrapment — (PNE), also known as Alcock canal syndrome, is an uncommon source of chronic pain in which the pudendal nerve (located in the pelvis) is entrapped or compressed in Alcock's canal. Abdominal Loin pain hematuria syndrome. Proctitis—infection or inflammation of the anus or rectum. Colitis—infection or inflammation of the colon. Appendicitis—infection or inflammation of the bowel.

Diagnosis

Females The absence of visible pathology in chronic pain syndromes should not form the basis for either seeking psychological explanations or questioning the reality of the patient's pain. Instead it is essential to approach the complexity of chronic pain from a psychophysiological perspective which recognises the importance of the mind-body interaction. Some of the mechanisms by which the limbic system impacts on pain, and in particular myofascial pain, have been clarified by research findings in neurology and psychophysiology.

Males

In chronic pelvic pain, there are no standard diagnostic tests in males; diagnosis is by exclusion of other disease entities.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pelvic pain

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pelvic pain claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pelvic pain before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pelvic pain ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pelvic pain

In research: Pelvic pain appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pelvic pain in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pelvic pain is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ailments of unknown cause, Chronic pain syndromes, Gynaecology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pelvic pain outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Pelvic pain in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pelvic pain means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pelvic pain out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pelvic pain in simple terms?

Pelvic pain is pain in the area of the pelvis. Acute pain is more common than chronic pain.

Why does Pelvic pain matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pelvic pain?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pelvic pain.