What is it?
Pelvic pain can be broken up into two categories: acute, like pain in the pelvis related to pregnancy or that you might get after a fall; and chronic. Chronic pelvic pain is having felt pain and structures of the abdomen or pelvis for lasting at least 3 to 6 months. It can come and go, or it can be there all the time. At Prairie Pelvic Health we really don’t like the term ‘chronic’ because that can make you feel like these symptoms are permanent. In fact pelvic pain is treatable.
Pelvic pain occurs more often in women than in men and may have many contributing factors, including interactions between the digestive, bladder, sexual, muscular and nervous systems. We know that our emotional well-being, and social and cultural factors also have roles to play in pelvic pain.
Pelvic pain may:
- be constant or may come and go
- be sharp or cramping
- be dull or a feel like pressure
- very intensity from mild to disabling
Pelvic pain can be felt in many places:
- pelvic girdle pain (tailbone, sacroiliac joint or pubic symphysis pain)
- Pain that interferes with sitting and exercise
- pain that radiates to the abdomen, buttocks and/or thighs
- pain in the rectum or bladder
- pain during or after insertional sex
- in women: vaginal or perineal pain
- in men: penile, scrotal or perineal pain