Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is a general term used to describe pain that occurs mostly or only in the pelvic region, which includes the lower stomach, lower back, buttocks, and genital area.

Although pain is the core symptom of pelvic pain, the specifics of that pain and other symptoms vary.

Researchers are not exactly sure how many women in the United States have chronic pelvic pain.

There are many possible causes of pelvic pain, and it may be difficult to figure out the specific cause or causes.

Diagnosing pelvic pain is not difficult, but finding the cause of the pain can be challenging, may take some time, and could require visits to multiple health care providers or specialists.

Treatment depends on the cause of pelvic pain, how intense the pain is, and how often the pain occurs. No single treatment approach has been shown to be better than another in all cases.

Describing your pain accurately and thoroughly may help your health care provider find the cause of the pain and treat it.

For some women, pelvic pain is caused by multiple conditions that occur at the same time.

Some pelvic conditions that are associated with pain, such as endometriosis, also are associated with difficulty getting pregnant. But pelvic pain alone usually does not indicate infertility.

Some women use alternative medicine, such as yoga, to treat or manage their pain. Although scientific evidence on these alternatives is limited, they may help in some cases.

The specifics of the relationship between pain and emotional health are not well understood. But pain, especially chronic pain, is known to take a toll on emotional health.

Living with pelvic pain can be challenging. Working with health care providers and others to find healthy coping strategies is an important aspect of living with pain.

NICHD studies pelvic pain and related disorders.

• NICHD Research Goals
• ​​​Activities and Advances

NICHD conducts and supports a variety of clinical research projects related to pelvic pain.

Find answers to other frequently asked questions about pelvic pain, such as how to describe it to a health care provider, what effects it can have, and what treatments are available.

Links to websites of groups that study or provide information about pelvic pain.