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Chronic Pelvic Pain

  • Chapter
Handbook of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health

Part of the book series: Issues in Women’s Health ((WOHI))

Abstract

In a gendered social environment, the mores regarding a woman’s body powerfully influence the medical care she will receive. Women who suffer from pain that arises from the pelvic cavity and the perineum comprise a group whose medical care historically has been inadequate. Because the etiology of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is often unidentifiable, the disorder is a perplexing and frustrating condition for patients and for providers. Often the severity of pain is not proportional to the degree of pelvic pathology. Women with long-standing pelvic pain frequently have limited social support systems and may experience financial hardship and subsequent loss of medical insurance due to impaired occupational functioning. Other sequelae include decreased physical activity, impaired social relations, altered family roles, depression, and accompanying vegetative signs such as sleep and appetite dysregulation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for the Health Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1740, USA

    Andrea J. Rapin

  2. Department of Psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA

    Melinda L. Morgan

Authors
  1. Andrea J. Rapin
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  2. Melinda L. Morgan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Gina M. Wingood ScD, MPH  & Ralph J. DiClemente PhD  & 

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Rapin, A.J., Morgan, M.L. (2002). Chronic Pelvic Pain. In: Wingood, G.M., DiClemente, R.J. (eds) Handbook of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health. Issues in Women’s Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0689-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0689-8_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5196-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0689-8

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