It is more accurate to think of chronic pelvic pain as a symptom, rather than as its own diagnosis. There are many different conditions that can contribute to chronic pelvic pain. And the conditions that contribute to one person’s chronic pelvic pain may be very different from the conditions present in another person’s case. In fact, most people with chronic pelvic pain actually have more than one condition that is causing pain symptoms.
In this section, we review information about how our bodies perceive and process pain signals. We also introduce several pain conditions that often contribute to chronic pelvic pain. Identifying all conditions that are contributing to your pain will allow you and your health care provider develop a management strategy that is effective and comprehensive.
While the information in this section isn’t detailed enough to diagnose yourself with a new condition or answer every question you might have about your pain, we hope that it will give you the information you need to have an informed conversation with your doctor and consider additional factors that may be contributing to your pain.