What is Chronic (long-term) pelvic pain?
Pelvic pain is any pain you feel in the lower abdomen or pelvis. Healthcare professionals consider pelvic pain to be long-term if:
- you experience it either constantly or intermittently for at least six months
- it happens at times other than when you have your period or sexual intercourse.
Long-term pelvic pain is not a diagnosis in itself but a description of a symptom.
How we experience pain is an individual matter and may depend upon any number of factors. Long-term pain can be very difficult to live with. It may cause you emotional, social and even economic difficulties. You may experience depression, difficulties in sleeping and a disruption to your daily routine. You may have fears that people will say your pain is ‘all in the mind’. The pain is not ‘all in your mind’.
The reasons for long-term pelvic pain are not always easy to diagnose. It is not always possible to treat. Women may need support in managing and coping with their pain.
Even if no reason can be found for the pain, many women find that the quality of their lives improves when they get a better understanding of what is involved.