How can a doctor diagnose the cause of pelvic pain?
A full history, examination and possibly some investigations will be required (Q4.4). The story and examination findings may allow your doctor to make a diagnosis and initiate treatment. Although pain related to the menstrual cycle suggests a gynaecological problem, it is not always the case (39). Symptoms relating to the bladder or bowel may suggest that the problem is not gynaecological. Frequently, there may be a variety of symptoms and clinical skill is required to determine the more significant symptoms and prioritise investigations. The more common conditions can often be diagnosed by your general practitioner. Specialist advice is usually sought when there is difficulty establishing a diagnosis, when there has been a poor response to initial treatment, if the pain is particularly severe or if specialist investigations such as laparoscopy (laparoscopy) may be required. A difficult conundrum is that several conditions that may be associated with pelvic pain are common: • IBS – irr
