Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Symptoms

Research on Gynecological Disorders

The NICHD funds and conducts research on many disorders that affect the organs in a woman's abdominal and pelvic areas. In general, most of these disorders don't directly affect a woman's changes of getting pregnant naturally. Some of these conditions include:

Pelvic Floor Disorders

The term "pelvic floor" refers to the group of muscles that form a sling or hammock across the opening of the pelvis. These muscles, together with their surrounding tissues, keep all of the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, and rectum) in place so that the organs function correctly. A "pelvic floor disorder," then, is a problem with these muscles or the surrounding tissues that leads to dysfunction of one or more of the pelvic organs.

Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is a general term that health care providers use to describe steady pain, or pain that comes and goes, that occurs mostly or only in the lower abdomen area. In some cases, the pain might be severe and might get in the way of daily activities; in other cases, the pain might be dull and occur only during the menstrual cycle. Pelvic pain also describes pain that occurs during sexual intercourse.

In general, pelvic pain signals that there may be a problem with one of the organs in your pelvic area: uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, vagina, lower intestines, or rectum. Or, it might be a symptom of an infection.

Vaginitis

Vaginitis (va-jinn-EYE-tiss) is a term used to describe any disorder that causes swelling or infection of both the vulva and the vagina. Vaginitis is different from vulvodynia because it affects the vagina, which is inside the woman's body; vulvodyina only affects the vulva, which is outside the woman's body.

Vulvodynia

Vulvodynia (vul-voh-DINN-nee-uh) is the term used to describe chronic discomfort or pain of the vulva, especially burning, stinging, irritation, or rawness of the area. Health care providers don't agree on the exact definition of vulvodynia. Currently, the term is used to describe a variety of conditions. Researchers estimate that as many as 18 percent of women will experience symptoms consistent with vulvodynia.

Resources

For more information about vulvodynia—including patient support organizations, please visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Vulvodynia.cfm.

For more information on pelvic floor disorders, please visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Pelvic_Floor_Disorders.cfm.

For more information on pelvic pain—including patient support organizations, please visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Pelvic_Pain.cfm.

For more information on the common types of vaginitis and possible treatments, please visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/vaginitis.cfm.