What are the causes of pelvic pain in women aged 43?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 43-year-old female. I have had a pain in the left side of my pelvis for a few months. I recently started weightlifting. At first, I thought it was a pulled groin, but it is a little bit higher up than that. I wondered if it was a hernia, but there iislump or weak area.

I do not have health insurance, so I have to be careful with my diagnosis. The pain is becoming worse and more like a sharp cramp. Maybe it is pelvic inflammatory disease, or anything else.

Should I go to a general practitioner or a gynecologist?

I stopped taking birth control at the same time.

Kindly suggest.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your post thoroughly, and I understand that you need a sense of direction in terms of the origin of the pathology. Now, it could be several things. The fact that it started with you starting to lift weights puts us in the direction of both a hernia and a pulled muscle.

Having said that, the cramps cannot be because of a pulled muscle. If it were to be something to do with your colon, it would account for the crampy nature of the pain. Also, since it is getting worse, it could be something along the lines of colonic inflammation.

Diverticulitis in existing diverticulosis is a likely possibility. But I need to know if the pain has any relation to meal intake, like, does it get worse after one? Also, is your bowel movement normal?

It could be gynecological as well, but do you have any other symptoms that would suggest that? Also, it is very, very important to know if your periods are regular and if there is any possibility of pregnancy. Sometimes ectopic pregnancy also presents this way. It cannot be pelvic inflammatory disease, though, but an ovarian cyst is also a possibility.

Please let me know the details so that we can narrow down the list of possibilities and reach a diagnosis.

Thank you.