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Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Case Study

Decent Essays

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) has been accepted for centuries as a ‘normal’ symptom women experience as part of menstruation. However, CPP can have a detrimental impact on the overall quality of life women experience, extending beyond their physical health, affecting their mental, social and financial wellbeing. The most commonly reported gynaecological cause of CPP is endometriosis- prevalent in approximately 10% of the female population. This particular condition is characterised by the abnormal growth of endometrial cells outside of the uterus, as well as on the surrounding pelvic and abdominal tissues. With only very limited and invasive methods of diagnosis currently available, in addition to a lack of education provided on this condition, many women are inclined to simply ‘suffer in silence’, demoting this recurring pelvic discomfort to the status of a “female problem”. This uninhibited complacency is reflected in the delayed diagnosis of endometriosis which on average, is 7-10 years after it has first developed, which only increases the severity of the disease. Moreover, these associated personal and communal costs of endometriosis have inspired me to further investigate the current methods of diagnosis and treatment offered for patients with endometriosis in addition to researching other technologies being developed….

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