Pelvic pain is steady or occasional pain that occurs in the lower abdomen or pelvic area. Although it can be mild in some cases, pelvic pain is often severe enough to interfere with a person's daily life.

The pelvis houses several organs, including the bladder, rectum and lower intestines. Women also have a uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and vagina in the pelvic region. Men's pelvic organs include the prostate and other glands. Pelvic pain may be the result of an infection (e.g., interstitial cystis, pelvic inflammatory disease, prostatitis) or other abnormality in one of these organs.

In addition to causing pain in the lower abdomen, pelvic pain can cause discomfort in other areas of the body, including the back, hip joints and upper abdomen. This is the result of the pain traveling along nerve pathways through the body. Pelvic pain may last anywhere from a few minutes or days (acute pelvic pain) to more than six months (chronic pelvic pain).

Patients experiencing pelvic pain should discuss the pain with their physician. To determine the cause of the pain, a physician may order a number of tests including blood tests, urine tests, cultures and imaging studies (e.g., x-rays, ultrasound, MRI). Pinpointing the cause is often a long process.

A single cause or multiple causes of pelvic pain may be identified. In some cases, chronic pelvic pain is recognized as the condition itself instead of being identified as a symptom of another condition.

Treatment for pelvic pain is aimed at its source. When the source of the pain cannot be identified, however, treatment may focus on managing the symptoms. Common treatment methods for pelvic pain include medications (e.g., antibiotics, pain relievers), exercise therapy, thermotherapy, stress management and surgery.