Women's Health Procedures
- Women's Health - Home
- Fallopian Tube Recanalization - Infertility Treatments using Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions and Procedures
- Tubal Occlusion -Tubal Occlusion Treatment by Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions and Procedures
- Uterine Fibroid Embolization - Uterine Fibroid Embolization using Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions and Procedures
Chronic Pelvic Pain
It
is estimated that one-third of all women will experience chronic pelvic
pain in their lifetime. Many of these women are told the problem is
"all in their head" but recent advancements now show the pain may be due
to hard-to-detect varicose veins in the pelvis, known as pelvic
congestion syndrome.
The causes of chronic pelvic pain are varied, but are often associated with the presence of ovarian and pelvic varicose veins. Pelvic congestion syndrome is similar to varicose veins in the legs. In both cases, the valves in the veins that help return blood to the heart against gravity become weakened and don't close properly. This allows blood to flow backwards and pool in the vein, causing pressure and bulging veins. In the pelvis, varicose veins can cause pain and affect the uterus, ovaries and vulva. Up to 15 percent of women, generally between the ages of 20 and 50, have varicose veins in the pelvis, although not all experience symptoms.
The diagnosis is often missed because women lie down for a pelvic exam, relieving pressure from the ovarian veins so that the veins no longer bulge with blood as they do while a woman is standing.
Many women with pelvic congestion syndrome spend many years trying to get an answer to why they have this chronic pelvic pain. Living with chronic pelvic pain is difficult and affects not only the woman directly, but also her interactions with her family and friends and her general outlook on life. In these cases, because the cause of the pelvic pain is not diagnosed, no therapy is provided even though there is therapy available.
Prevalence
- Women with pelvic congestion syndrome are typically less than 45 years old and in their child bearing years.
- Ovarian veins increase in size related to previous pregnancies. Pelvic congestion syndrome is unusual in women who have not been pregnant.
- Chronic pelvic pain accounts for 15% of outpatient gynecologic visits.
- Studies show 30% of patients with chronic pelvic pain have pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) as a sole cause of their pain, and an additional 15% have PCS along with another pelvic pathology.
Risk Factors
- Two or more pregnancies and hormonal increases
- Fullness of leg veins
- Polycystic ovaries
- Hormonal dysfunction
Symptoms
The chronic pain that is associated with this disease is usually dull
and aching. The pain is usually felt in the lower abdomen and lower
back. The pain often increases during the following times:
- Following intercourse
- Menstrual periods
- When tired or when standing (worse at end of day)
- Pregnancy
Other symptoms include:
- Irritable bladder
- Abnormal menstrual bleeding
- Vaginal discharge
- Varicose veins on vulva, buttocks or thigh.
Treatment Options
Once a diagnosis is made, if the patient is symptomatic, an embolization should be done. Embolization is a minimally invasive procedure performed by interventional radiologists using imaging for guidance. During this outpatient procedure, the interventional radiologist inserts a thin catheter into the femoral vein in the groin and guides it to the affected vein using X-ray guidance. To seal the faulty, enlarged vein and relieve painful pressure, an interventional radiologist inserts tiny coils, often with a sclerosing agent (the same type of material used to treat varicose veins) to close the vein. After treatment, patients can return to normal activities immediately.
Additional treatments are available depending on the severity of the woman's symptoms. Analgesics may be prescribed to reduce the pain. Hormones such as birth control pills decrease a woman's hormone level, causing menstruation to stop, which may be helpful in controlling the symptoms. Surgical options include a hysterectomy with removal of ovaries and tying off or removing the veins.
Efficacy
In addition to being less expensive than surgery and much less invasive, embolization offers a safe, effective treatment option that restores patients to normal. The procedure is very commonly successful in blocking the abnormal blood flow. It is successfully performed in over 95-100 percent of all cases. A large percentage of women have improvement in their symptoms after the procedure - between 85-95%. Although women usually enjoy improved health, the veins can never be restored to their normal, working conditions, and in some cases, other pelvic veins are also affected which may require further treatment.