Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology

Abdominal and Pelvic Pain

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Uncertainty of Diagnosis

When treating a female patient with abdominal pain, I sometimes don't have a clue as to what the problem is. I say this as a board-certified OB-GYN, with more than 20 years in clinical practice, practicing in a 600-bed teaching hospital, with ultrasound, MRI scans, and full lab support. Sometimes all I can say is: "This patient is sick with something."

Sometimes these patients get well before I can figure out the diagnosis. Sometimes these patients get worse and I end up performing surgery and find PID, or endometriosis, or an ovarian cyst or almost any other gynecologic, surgical or medical problem. Sometimes I do laparoscopy and find nothing abnormal, but the pain goes away.

The First Point is: In clinical gynecology, the diagnosis is often unclear. Just because you're unsure of the diagnosis doesn't mean you can't take good care of the patient. Often you must treat the patient before knowing the diagnosis.

The Second Point is: More important than knowing the correct diagnosis is doing the right thing for the patient.

Pain and Bedrest

If the patient has pelvic/abdominal pain or tenderness, placing her on bedrest for a few days will usually help and is never the wrong thing to do. For many of your patients, the pain will simply resolve (although you won't know why).

Pain and Fever

If the patient has a fever (in addition to her pain), I would recommend you give her antibiotics to cover PID. With mild pain and fever, oral antibiotics should work well, so long as they are effective against chlamydia (Doxycycline, tetracycline, erythromycin, Azithromycin , etc.).

If the fever is high or the pain is moderate to severe, I would recommend IV antibiotics (such as clindamycin/gentamicin or cefoxitin or cefotetan or Flagyl/gentamicin) to cover the possibility of pelvic abscess.

CDC Protocols for PID

Chronic Pain

If there is no fever, but your patient complains of chronic pelvic pain, a course of oral Doxycycline is wise. Some of these women will  be suffering from chlamydia and you may cure them through the use of an antibiotic effective against chlamydia. Others will not improve and will need further evaluation by experienced providers in well-equipped settings.

Pregnancy Test

Any patient complaining of pelvic pain should have a pregnancy test. I am surprised at how often it is positive despite the patient saying "that's impossible."

Read more about Pregnancy Tests

Home  ·  Introduction  ·  Medical Support of Women in Field Environments  ·  The Prisoner of War Experience  ·  Routine Care  ·  Pap Smears  ·  Human Papilloma Virus  ·  Contraception  ·  Birth Control Pills  ·  Vulvar Disease  ·  Vaginal Discharge  ·  Abnormal Bleeding  ·  Menstrual Problems  ·  Abdominal Pain  ·  Urination Problems  ·  Menopause  ·  Breast Problems  ·  Sexual Assault  ·  Normal Pregnancy  ·  Abnormal Pregnancy  ·  Normal Labor and Delivery  ·  Problems During Labor and Delivery  ·  Care of the Newborn

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