Women's Common Health Issues

There have been many changes to the way in which women’s health problems are treated and approached in the past few years. Its no longer a case of this is a women’s lot.

If you have any concerns with any of the areas covered, please take the links to further information.

Chronic Pelvic Pain CPP

CPP affects 3.8% of women between the ages of 15-73 yrs (ref 1) it can be intermittent or constant. Intermittent chronic pelvic pain usually has a specific cause, while constant pelvic pain may be the result of more than one problem.

A common example of chronic pelvic pain is heavy menstrual bleeding or menstrual cramps. Other causes of chronic pelvic pain include endometriosis, and ovulation pain.

Pelvic pain can sometimes start with intermittent pelvic pain that becomes constant over time, this maybe related to a low grade infection in the bladder (cystitis) or sexually transmitted disease.

Adhesions from surgery can cause the surfaces of organs and structures inside the abdomen to bind to each other.

Fibroid tumours (a non-cancerous, benign growth from the muscle of the uterus) often have no symptoms; however when symptoms do appear they can include pelvic pain or pressure, as well as menstrual abnormalities.

Investigations into the cause of pain and symptoms need to be followed up through your GP.

Treatment is often multifaceted and can include:

• Medication can be
  • analgesia,
  • anti-inflammatories,
  • hormone balancing medication,
  • the Mirena coil
• Physiotherapy
• Counselling
• Surgery
  • day surgery (laparoscopy) can be investigative as well as treating the cause.

The Pelvic Pain Support network offer extensive advice on their website -
www.pelvicpain.org.uk

Menopause

Menopause is a time of life for some women to celebrate, for others it can be a series of uncomfortable symptoms to endure. It’s a natural event usually affecting women between the ages of 39 –59 years (ref 2).

There are many approaches in treatment and for support. 35% of women give up on hormonal medication due to side effects; there are many different preparations that can be prescribed, so it is worth exploring all possibilities with your GP or specialist nurse adviser.
Treatment can be taken in tablet/spray/cream/pessary/adhesive patches/implants. Complimentary therapies and herbal remedies can be helpful.

Links for further information:

• menopausematters.co.uk
• www.bbc.co.uk menopause
• www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk Health Advice & Information menopause

Ref 1 MIMS Women’s Health Conference 5thMay 2010 Mr A Antoniou
Ref 2 Royal College of Nursing 2006 Complementary approaches to menopausal symptoms