Female pelvic pain means pain that affects the lower abdomen and pelvis. Chronic female pelvic pain is defined as pelvic pain that has persisted for at least 6 months.¹

Female pelvic pain symptoms can include:

• Severe to mild pain.
• Vague to sharp pain.
• Severe menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea).
• Low backache 1 or 2 days before the start of the menstrual period (or earlier), subsiding during the period.
• Pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).
• Painful urination.
• Rectal pain.
• Pain during bowel movements.

Symptoms that can accompany pelvic pain, depending on the cause, include:

• Blood in the urine or stool.
• Vaginal bleeding after intercourse.
• Heavy or irregular vaginal bleeding.

Depression symptoms are commonly linked to chronic pain. Signs of depression include sleep problems, appetite changes, feelings of emptiness and sadness, and slowed body movements and reactions. If you have depression symptoms, see your health professional. For the best chance of recovery from pain, depression must be treated along with any known physical cause(s) of pain.