Chronic Abdominal Pain Due to Obstetric and Gynecological Factors

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a common disorder in clinical practice. Patients who suffer from it often have their daily life being disturbed by the pain for a long time before they visit doctors as CPP is defined as cyclical or noncyclical pain lasting for over 6 months. Patients with CPP may present with dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyspareunia, and dyspareunia. Up to 24% of women worldwide suffer from CPP [1]. Clinically, many patients often fail to detect clear pathological changes through various diagnostic tests, and painful symptoms are the primary presentation at the clinic. Causes of CPP include gastrointestinal, urological, gynecological, oncological, musculoskeletal, and psychosocial factors [2]. When evaluating and treating patients, subspecialists are often inadequate in multidisciplinary training and knowledge of the various causes required. As a result, patients may have seen multiple physicians, undergone multiple tests and examinations, and may have undergone surgical procedures before seeking treatments, yet without significant improvement in associated symptoms. With further research on CPP suggesting that CPP may be just a chronic symptom without any pathological changes and that pain is closely related to sexual function, defecation, and urination due to its location and is often accompanied by emotional and psychological changes in the patient, more medical practitioners have now become interested in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with CPP. This chapter attempts to provide a multidisciplinary overview of CPP with an evaluation focus, including its etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of common CPP syndromes.