Methods of assessing the etiology of chronic pelvic pain in women in the practice of a family doctor

Abstract

Chronic pelvic pain remains a major public health problem worldwide. For a variety of reasons, it creates complex physical and mental health problems for millions of women. The impact on women’s family relationships and social lives is enormous, as these women struggle to maintain a quality of life while coping with their condition. As a result, at the individual level, chronic pelvic pain often leads to years of disability and suffering, with job loss, family problems, and divorce. The management of patients with chronic pelvic pain is a major challenge for both clinicians and patients, not least because of the delay in diagnosis. When pain becomes chronic, it is more difficult to assess and treat. One of the main challenges is the multi-etiology of the condition. For this reason, patients should be evaluated for both gynecological and non-gynecological conditions. At the same time, delays and incorrect diagnoses lead to significant patient frustration and distrust of doctors. Unfortunately, this also leads to significant progression of pelvic pain symptoms, which in turn necessitates the need for polyetiological diagnosis at the stage of the initial examination of patients in family medicine settings. In addition, it is important to remember the psychological comfort of patients and the need to establish a trusting relationship between the patient and the doctor. In this case, patients with pelvic pain should undergo an in-depth history and physical examination, which makes it easier to localize the cause of the pain. Imaging methods and laboratory tests can help in differential diagnosis and the next steps for invasive diagnosis and treatment