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Chronic Pelvic Pain
HOST ON CAMERA INTRO
When a woman feels pelvic pain she usually associates it with her menstrual cycle. In most cases taking an over the counter painkiller can make it go away. But roughly 10% of women between the ages of 15 to 50, experience a condition called chronic pelvic pain. What's worse than the pain, is the mystery surrounding its cause and its possible cures.
HOST V/O
Sun, surf, sand...you may think living in Delray Beach, Florida is living the good life, but for twenty year old Jaime Wilson most of her days are spent scheduled around her pain, something she's been coping with since she was fourteen.
Jaime Wilson
"When I'd walk it would just feel really tight and that's how it felt at first but then it gets almost like a stabbing needles kind of, like a real burning."
HOST V/O
Jaime's mother Robin took her to a gynecologist for answers. They were told the pain was due to ruptured cysts on her ovaries and she was given medication.
Jaime Wilson
"So they put me on hormones like birth control pills to try to control my hormone levels."
HOST V/O
But the pills didn't work and Jaime was in constant pain.
Jaime Wilson
It was just taking over my life and there had to be a better treatment than what I was having, or something different.
HOST V/O
Jamie was not alone in her search for the cause of her pain. Doctors say about one in fifty visits to a gynecologist is for chronic pelvic pain. Jaime eventually discovered she had endometriosis.
HOST V/O
Simply put, chronic pelvic pain is pain below the navel in the pelvic area that lingers for six months or longer. Endometriosis lesions occur when tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus is found in other areas of the body, causing pain. Over time inflammation may lead to scar tissue not to mention severe discomfort.
HOST V/O
At Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Doctor Robert Barbieri is the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Robert Barbieri, MD
"A woman with endometriosis might have a dozen of these ulcers spread around the inside of the body each one the size the head of a pen, but even though they're very small these lesions, they can be associated with very intense pain."
HOST V/O
There are several approaches to treating endometriosis, depending on a woman's symptoms and whether she wants to have children. The two most common ones are laproscopic surgery, or hormones to help regulate hormone levels in the body.
In most cases women can find relief with these treatments, but Jamie's was an extreme and severe form of the condition, and especially difficult to treat.
Robert Barbieri, MD
"Many people get excellent relief with either surgical therapy alone or hormonal therapy or the combination. A subgroup of people won't get relief with that simple first line therapy those people should approach the problem using a multi-disciplinary team."
NAT SOUND
With coughing or...
HOST V/O
The team can consist of a gynecologist, an anesthesiologist, a psychologist and an acupuncturist. Each can offer a variety of pain reduction techniques.
HOST V/O
Even after repeated surgeries, Jaime still experiences pain. She has deep tissue endometriosis, which means she has deep lesions that are hard to reach and hard to remove. As for her future, someday Jaime says... she'd like to start a family.
Jaime Wilson
"I have no idea what will happen next month or what my future holds. I'll eventually have to have a hysterectomy after I have had children my goal is to definitely have children one day so I'm holding off on that as long as possible."
HOST V/O
But, there are some conditions that have no known physical causes. And some women experience chronic pain of the vulva.
NAT SOUND
Thank you.
HOST V/O
Doctor Gloria Bachmann is the associate dean for women's health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Gloria Bachmann, MD
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
"When we talk about pain, women experiencing pain, we often think of a sexually transmitted disease causing pain or endometriosis. However there up to 16% of American women who experience a chronic pain in the vulvar and vagina area and this is termed Vulvodynia."
HOST V/O
Lisa Ellin started her search for answers more than ten years ago. Many times her doctor visits would leave her confused and frustrated.
Lisa Ellin
Patient
"So, it was very difficult to find treatment and I think that's a very common experience for women its very common to feel like you're crazy and that this is all in your head when it is a very real pain syndrome."
Gloria Bachmann, MD
"One of the perplexing aspects of Vulvodynia is we don't have a treatment for it. There have been many treatments tried....and there's really no final answer on what the best treatment method is."
HOST V/O
But Lisa was persistent. She finally found the help she needed in a study conducted by the national institutes of health.
Lisa Ellin
"I started this NIH study, which Dr. Bachmann is a part of and it was the first time that I was in a group of other women who also had something called Vulvodynia. And that was a really, really important turning point for me."
NAT SOUND
Just review for me what medications your taking right now?
Right now I'm taking anti depressants to take care of the spontaneous pain...
HOST V/O
There are treatments and therapies being tried for women coping with chronic vulva pain. While there's no specific treatment for every woman, Lisa's happy with her pain management, at least for now.
Lisa Ellin
"I found with a very high dose of one particular anti-depressant that my spontaneous burning went away completely, so that was amazing."
HOST V/O
Because chronic pelvic pain can interfere with sexual relations, marriages and relationships can falter. Lisa has been married for two years. She and her husband Haym have had their difficulties because of her condition, but they decided together to seek help and learn ways to deal with her pain.
Lisa Ellin
"We both have our separate issues with it but, the bottom line is he's supportive he's understanding, he knows that it's a medical condition and we love each other very much. And I think overall its made our marriage that much stronger."
HOST ON CAMERA TAG
Doctors suggest if a woman feels signs of chronic pelvic pain, she should write out a list of what she's experiencing and bring it to her next doctor's visit. This can be helpful in coming up with a plan for treatment and therapy.
HOST V/O
Finding the specific cause of pelvic pain can be a long process. There can be more than one reason for the cause of pelvic pain, making it difficult to diagnose.
HOST ON CAMERA
Well that's all for this edition of The Art of Women's Health. Join us next time for more compelling stories about the vital health issues facing women today. Until then, I'm Juju Chang.
HOST V/O
For pregnant flight attendants, the skies may not be so friendly after all.
Doctor
At approximately 35 thousand feet or so, you're getting the equivalent of about one chest x-ray every three hours.
NARRATOR VO:
The Art of Women's Health was brought to you by:
Every day more than half a million people look to Quest Diagnostics to tell their doctors whether they are healthy or ill. We take this responsibility very seriously. Quest Diagnostics, we strive to make finding answers easier every day.
This series is also supported by a grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
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