A Variety of Disorders Trigger Chronic Pain.

• Position: Research findings into pelvic pain, women - Brief Article

Although it is not a commonly talked about disorder, chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a serious condition that affects one in seven women. According to the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, CPP accounts for between 10 and 20% of all visits to gynecologists and is the justification for 12-16% of all hysterectomies.

CPP causes varying types of pain--steady, sporadic, cramping, sharp, dull, mild, or severe. It can be triggered by more than 50 different disorders. Determining the source often is a long and frustrating process of elimination. Tests or examinations may include pelvic exams, cultures, laparoscopy, imaging studies, and a surgical procedure called pain mapping. CPP sometimes is the result of nongynecological disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, but a handful of gynecological problems is responsible for most cases. These include:

* Endometriosis, in which tissues resembling the uterine lining are found outside the uterus.

* Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, the result of scarring from a long-term infection.

* Pelvic...