Pelvic pain is a medical condition, which is the primary cause of chronic pelvic pain. If the treatment is not done on time, it may lead to significant disability. It is a pelvic joint pain among women. Almost every woman faces this condition of Pelvic congestion syndrome at least once in their lifetime.
As per the statistics, more than 15 percent of women aged 18 to 50 are suffering from this syndrome in the USA.
This figure is more alarming at the global level and more than 43 percent of women with pelvic pain globally. It affects women between the ages of 20 to 45 years, having multiple previous pregnancies.
Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Causes –
This syndrome’s possible causes are due to hormonal or anatomic dysfunction or abnormalities in the pelvic structure.
These abnormalities change the pelvic structure during pregnancy that causes immense pressure within the ovarian veins. It weakens the wall of veins and results in the dilation.
This dilation of veins causes reflux- a condition where there is backward blood flow. It would be best if you took Pelvic pain seriously when you feel pain while you sit or stand, and the same get relieved after lying down.
Besides this, there are several causes of pelvic congestion syndrome. It can be due to the underlying pathology of the following organs-
- The reproductive system like uterus and ovaries problem
- The Urinary system like bladder pathology
- Gastrointestinal system, like the large intestine
- Muscles or bones
Symptoms of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome –
There are several and easy symptoms of PCS to identify its possibility. However, actual causes can only understand after the proper diagnosis.
Following are the significant symptoms-
• Feeling pain after standing or sitting in the same posture for a long time.
• Women with pelvic congestion syndrome may feel Severe pain during menstruation (dysmenorrhoea)
• Abnormal bleeding during menstruation
• Pain during and after the sexual intercourse
• In the late stages of pregnancy
• Abnormal vaginal discharge
• Increase in the amount of urination
• Vagina or vulva swelling
• varicose veins of the pelvis
• Hip pain
• Severe back pain
• Irritation in bowel function
Most of the symptoms are very common, and it doesn’t mean it signifies the Pelvic Congestion Syndrome. But you must consult your doctor after the occurrence of any of these symptoms.
Is PCS Serious?
This syndrome leads to chronic pain in ovarian and pelvic. It may also result in reflux i.e., backward blood flow.
Uncontrolled pain may cause significant and permanent disability. Hence yes, it is a serious medical condition and must be treated immediately.
How to Minimize the PCS Pain?
As the symptoms of pelvic pain are widespread, so it is difficult to identify. Also, it is not easy to diagnose the problem.
If any of the symptoms occur, besides the treatment start, you must care for many other things that help to minimize the pain.
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• Diet
A high fiber diet is recommended to curb constipation as it aggravates the PCS symptoms. Cereal, rice, wholegrain, beans, and legumes have higher fluid content and a high fiber diet.
The habit of regular drinking of water is beneficial. You should take herbal tea and avoid any soft drinks and caffeine.
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• Lifestyle
To maintain consistent blood flow and to keep the blood vessels healthy and unaffected should be the primary goal to minimize the risk of Pelvic pain.
To do this, you must have a regular exercise like a morning walk or run.
It seen that during the early morning time, the pain is very little. So you can do this simple exercise easily. Cycling and swimming are also a better option, but you should do it in the morning to get more benefits.
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• Supplements
Several herbs are beneficial in the form of supplements. You can take raspberry leaves in the form of tea or tablets.
Grapes seeds are also helpful with congestion and the tones of veins. One more important is to take care of blood vessels and to minimize the risk of leakage.
Bioflavonoids the plant compound, are using to strengthen the blood vessel. This compound is vastly present in fruits.
Blueberries and grapes have Oligomeric proanthocyanidins, a type of phytonutrient, which has antioxidant properties. It protects capillaries and strengthens the tone in veins.
Besides the treatment, it can be minimized by simply changing the lifestyle and have a healthy balanced diet.
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Diagnosing Pelvic Congestion Syndrome –
It is amply clear that there may be several causes of this syndrome, and therefore diagnosis is not always easy.
It is difficult to identify the cause and also the treatment. There are several tests which need to perform to diagnose the problem.
• Pelvic Ultrasound
• Doppler ultrasound which helps check the blood flow in the pelvic blood vessels
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT Scan
• Blood test for pregnancy, anemia, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.
• Urine check to know if there any problem in the urinary system
• There be a situation when multiple tests can help to diagnose the causes.
Treatment Options for Pelvic Congestion Syndrome –
The sad news is that there are no such definite treatment options for PCS till revealed. All the treatments are symptomatic, mainly focus on decreasing the pain.
Pain can be controlled by –
- NSAIDs
- In case of severe chronic pain, Gabapentin can apply.
- Physiotherapy can give you some pain relief temporarily.
- Till now, the most successful treatment option is minimally invasive surgery. In this surgery, the blockage is open in the varicose vein.
- Several pieces of research take place on PCS treatment. It is showing that, after doing the minimally invasive surgery, the women feel much better, and the pain decreases significantly.
Key points to remember about PCS –
Pelvic pain often becomes chronic, including dull aching. The pain can become a serious health threat if not taken it seriously. Women who have enlarged pelvic veins in are mostly attacked by pelvic congestion syndrome.
• Pelvic congestion syndrome is more common among women of childbearing age. If she had more than one pregnancy may have a greater risk of pelvic pain.
• Pelvic pain is primaryly seeing in women. It may worsen after having sexual intercourse, standing, or even walking. The highest chance of pelvic pain is after pregnancy.
• Since there are ample causes behind the pain’s arousal, you may have to go through several tests to find the exact reason.
• Hormone treatments are usually suitable to determine the symptoms
Additional facts
You must seek a healthcare consultant if you feel a sharp and sudden pain. Sometimes, we often try our ancestors’ remedies to treat such pain without knowing its actual cause. No, it would be best if you never attempted such undefined treatment.
Also, contact with professional medical emergencies who have advance diagnosis along with the treatment for pelvic pain.