Chronic Pelvic Pain

Pelvic Pain affects 1 in 5 women at some time in their life – yet it’s a condition that is rarely discussed. In common terms pelvic pain can be continual or on and off; it can be related to periods and/or mid-cycle; it can present as pain with intercourse, bowel or bladder pain, pelvic muscle pain or pelvic nerve type pain, and commonly two or more types of pain may be present. It can also be associated with headaches, bloating, generally feeling unwell, tired, low or anxious mood.

When you first develop pain, it is important to see your doctor to check if the pain indicates something that needs immediate investigation and/or treatment. The female doctors at Woonona Medical Practice all have expertise in this area. Unfortunately, even with the best care, some women still have pain. There may be nothing to find on scans or tests, but pain persists.

Individual Sessions

It is at this stage that Dr Adele will see patients for an opinion and sessions regarding chronic pelvic pain. Depending on the case this will be a set of 1 hour + visits. Sometimes just 1 or 2 visits. More usually up to 6 visits and sometimes ongoing 1-3 monthly visits.

Cost: $275 ($235 card holders until safety net is reached) for a 60-75 minute face-to-face appointment. Rebate $198. No mental health plan required.

Telehealth: similar cost with rebate varying from $89 to $150 depending on several factors. Mental health plan may be helpful. Adele will accept mental health plans from other GP’s or can prepare it for you herself if appropriate.

Please note that Dr Adele will not be taking you on as your usual GP. Her special interest is in the modern pain neuroscience and particularly the psychological aspects. Prescribing appropriate medications is only a very small part of what she does. 

Pelvic pain explained

Almost all women with chronic pelvic pain will benefit from very specific pain education. In a nutshell, all pain is produced by the brain, and and chronic pain could be called neuroplastic pain. This is where pain gets really complex. The brain and nervous system may have a much lower threshold for producing pain in the pelvic area. Things that weren’t painful before like intercourse, or wearing tight jeans, or the bowels or bladder working may become painful. Pain may be felt in a much wider area eg abdomen, back or thighs even though they are not abnormal in any way. And because the brain, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system are all so closely related, there are also commonly effects on our energy levels, well being, mood, concentration, resistance to infection etc. and this can cause a vicious cycle by lowering our brains threshold for producing pain even further. This carefully tailored pain education usually along with the help of a specialised pelvic pain physiotherapist can make a significant difference to your pain level and how you manage it.