Gynecologic Pelvic Pain

The family physician dealing with gynecologic pelvic pain (acute or chronic) enters at the beginning of the problem as diagnostician, refers the patient to a specialist in the interim, and resumes care in the follow-up period. Patients with chronic pelvic pain (pelvic pain that has lasted for at least six months) can be difficult to treat because they often have a history of dysfunctional family life, sexual and marital problems, and often a hidden history of sexual molestation or incest. The family physician can best care for the patient with empathy, a long ventilated history, complete physical and pelvic examination, and pelvic ultrasonograpy if necessary. Laparoscopy normally shows pelvic adhesions in one third of these patients, minimal endometriosis in one third, and a normal pelvis in the final third. The family physician should specifically reassure patients with normal results that they do not have cancer. The ideal therapy combines both stimulation-produced analgesia and treatment of the psychological, emotional, sociological, and environmental aspects of the disease.