You are not alone. Chronic pelvic pain is very common, affecting at least 15-20% of women. Despite the fact that so many people suffer from chronic pelvic pain, the experience can feel very isolating. Because pelvic symptoms feel “private,” many people don’t tell even close friends or family about their pain. Many people have the experience of mentioning pelvic pain symptoms to their doctor or family members, only to be told that these symptoms are normal.
Chronic pelvic pain can be difficult to manage. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single medication, therapy, or surgery that is guaranteed to work for every person. In fact, most people with chronic pelvic pain have the best results with a multimodal approach – in other words, using several different strategies or targeting multiple pain mechanisms at the same time.
The first step in managing chronic pelvic pain to better understand the condition. Understanding Pelvic Pain introduces several of the most common conditions that contribute to pelvic pain. Most people with chronic pelvic pain actually have more than one contributing condition. Identifying ALL of the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms is an essential first step in addressing them.
Managing Symptoms introduces some management strategies that are likely to be beneficial for most people with chronic pelvic pain, regardless of the individual pain contributors. Our goal with this section is to allow you to explore a holistic set of management strategies and adopt what works for you.
Monitoring Progress contains symptom and activity monitoring programs. Many people find these helpful for monitoring their progress with new treatments and for identifying pain triggers.
We’re here to help you make a plan.