Pelvic Pain Awareness Month: IPPS Joins PW to "Advance the Discussion"

The International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS) has again designated the month of May as Pelvic Pain Awareness Month. The intent of the IPPS is to advance the discussion of chronic pelvic pain, the positive impact of accurate diagnosis, and what practitioners and patients can do. Chronic pelvic pain is defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as “noncyclical pain of at least 6 months’ duration that appears in locations such as the pelvis, anterior abdominal wall, lower back, or buttocks, and that is serious enough to cause disability or lead to medical care.” The disorder can include sexual, bowel, urinary, gynecological, and musculoskeletal symptoms, and accompanying comorbidities are frequent, including depression, anxiety, sleep dysfunction, and relationship issues. At PAINWeek 2018, convening in Las Vegas September 4-8, the IPPS will again collaborate in the presentation of a comprehensive course track addressing the discussion, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic pelvic pain.

A featured course session at PAINWeek 2018 will be Fear & Loathing in the Bedroom: A Savage Journey Into Sexual Pain. This course will consider the significant cognitive, emotional, and physical consequences that accompany this common condition, affecting almost 45% of older women and 34% of younger women. Participants will learn how to screen for sexual pain and how to engage other providers to provide the multidisciplinary care needed for managing this condition. Other course offerings in the program will include A Spy in the House of Love: Unraveling the Mysteries of Misplaced Cells and Cyclical Pain in Endometriosis; Pregnancy Related Pain: Sciatica My Ass!; and The Razor’s Edge: Evaluating Pelvic Pain Caused by Peripheral Nerve Injury.

Read the IPPS blog on Pelvic Pain Awareness Month.

For more information on PAINWeek 2018 and to register for the conference, visit www.painweek.org.