The aetiology and medical treatment of pelvic pain

Summary

Gynaecological pain of apparently unknown aetiology is an extremely common problem in gynaecological practice. It is ill understood and wreaks havoc with women's lives. The economic cost of gynaecological pain is discussed elsewhere in this supplement. The human cost must not be overlooked. Postcoital ache and dyspareunia are common symptoms in the pelvic pain syndrome and are associated with a high incidence of apareunia (Beard et al., 1977). Naturally this causes a great deal of unhappiness and irretrievable breakdown of relationships are common in our experience (Gangar et al., unpublished studies).