Persistent pelvic pain

Persistent (chronic) pelvic pain

The pelvis (or lower abdomen) is the area below your belly button and between your hips. It’s where your bowel, bladder, ovaries, uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes are. In your pelvis, there are also muscles and joints, such as your pelvic floor muscles, abdominal wall and muscles around your hips, bottom and back.

Pelvic pain is quite common. It can be short term (acute), lasting from a few days to a few weeks, or it can become persistent (chronic).

Persistent pelvic pain (PPP) is pain in your pelvis that is felt most days and lasts for more than six months. This type of pain is complex and can be influenced by many things, including:

• biological factors (e.g. physical health conditions, inflammation and hormones)
• psychological factors (e.g. how you think about pain and how pain impacts your sleep and mood)
• social factors (e.g. relationships, social connections and work environments).

If you have pelvic pain, it’s important to see your doctor. It can take some time to diagnose persistent pelvic pain. It might also take time to learn how to manage it.

Learn more about persistent pelvic pain, including how it develops, where you can get help, and what you can do to manage your pain.