Connect to Women’s Health

If you live with unbearable pelvic pain, you’re not alone. Millions of women suffer from severe, ongoing pain that makes it hard to sleep, work, or play. Many different conditions can cause pelvic pain. You may have one or more of them. All can have similar symptoms, and that often makes it hard to figure out the source of the pain. Pelvic pain refers to any pain in the lowest part of the abdomen, below your belly button. If your pain lasts six months or longer, it’s called chronic pelvic pain.

By age 50, many women have developed fibroids, which are muscular tumors that grow in or on the uterus. Fibroids are typically noncancerous can be extremely painful and hard to live with. Not all women have symptoms, but those that do may experience severe abdominal pain and heavy periods.

Fibroids range in size from seedlings, undetectable by exam, or bulky masses that can distort and enlarge the uterus. You can have a single fibroid or multiple ones. In extreme cases, multiple fibroids can expand the uterus so much that it can add weight.

Many women who have fibroids don’t have any symptoms. In those that do, symptoms can be influenced by the location, size and number of fibroids.

Doctors don’t know the cause of uterine fibroids, but research and clinical experience point to genetic changes, hormones, and other growth factors.

Although uterine fibroids usually are not dangerous, they can cause discomfort and may lead to complications. If you are experiencing pelvic or abdominal pain that disrupts your daily life or has gotten worse over time, be sure to get it checked by your doctor.

Join us for a free virtual webinar with Lynda Thomas-Mabine, MD, gynecologist, to learn how to manage and treat fibroids. We’ll discuss the latest treatment options available so you can live your best life. Register today! Visit: CHWellnessEvents.com.

Located in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia and a member of Tower Health, Chestnut Hill Hospital is a 148-bed, community-based, university-affiliated, teaching hospital committed to excellent patient-centered care. Chestnut Hill Hospital provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient, diagnostic and treatment services for people in northwest Philadelphia and eastern Montgomery County. With more than 300 board-certified physicians, Chestnut Hill Hospital’s specialties include minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery, cardiology, gynecology, oncology, orthopedics, urology, family practice and internal medicine. Chestnut Hill Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission and is affiliated with university-hospitals in Philadelphia for heart and stroke care and residency programs. For more information, visit www.towerhealth.org.