Chronic pelvic pain is associated with gynecological conditions like endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. But there are many possible causes, including one you may not suspect.
For 15% of women with chronic pelvic pain, the problem originates in their blood vessels. This condition, pelvic congestion syndrome, frequently goes undetected by healthcare providers who are not vascular specialists.
At Memphis Vein Center, Kishore K. Arcot, MD, FACC, specializes in diagnosing pelvic congestion syndrome. He has extensive experience performing the best treatment, a minimally invasive procedure targeting the damaged veins.
Varicose veins deep in your pelvic area cause pelvic congestion syndrome. The affected veins serve your uterus and ovaries. They become engorged with blood when changes in the vein interfere with healthy blood flow.
Blood accumulates when the vein wall weakens and expands. The enlarged vein pulls on and damages the vein valves. The damaged valves let blood flow backward instead of moving toward your heart.
Pelvic congestion usually begins during pregnancy, and your risk of developing the problem increases if you have more than one pregnancy.
Your estrogen levels rise during pregnancy. Estrogen widens blood vessels to accommodate the increase in blood flow. But expanding the vessels also weakens their walls, allowing varicose veins to develop.
Women with pelvic congestion syndrome may also develop varicose veins in their upper thighs, buttocks, vagina, and external genitalia (vulva). With or without other visible veins, you may experience the following symptoms:
Some women may have stress incontinence, resulting in uncontrollable urine leakage when laughing, coughing, sneezing, or lifting a heavy item.
Treatment for pelvic congestion syndrome begins with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil® and Motrin®), and naproxen (Aleve®). Your healthcare provider may recommend a prescription-strength NSAID if needed.
If NSAIDs don’t help, the next step is hormonal therapy to reduce estrogen levels. All these medications, from over-the-counter NSAIDs to hormones, may (or may not) ease your symptoms. But they don’t treat the underlying vein problem.
Some healthcare providers suggest laparoscopic surgery to tie off the veins or, in more extreme cases, to remove your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. But you don't need to settle for surgery.
The best treatment is ovarian vein embolization, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that treats the veins causing your pelvic pain.
Ovarian vein embolization (coiling) stops blood flow through the damaged vein. After blocking the vein, your body reroutes the blood through another vein. As a result, healthy circulation returns, and you get relief from the pelvic pain.
During the embolization, we make a tiny incision in the thigh. We insert a catheter (narrow tube) into the vein and use real-time imaging to guide it to the damaged pelvic vein. Then, we release tiny coils through the catheter into the vein.
The coils expand and fill the area. They create a long-lasting barrier that stops blood flow through the vein.
Embolization is successful in 99% of procedures, and complications are rare. Having a uterine artery embolization does not affect your ability to have children. The procedure may reverse infertility caused by pelvic congestion syndrome.
Call us at Memphis Vein Center in Memphis, Tennessee, or use online booking to schedule a vein consultation. We offer in-office ultrasound to accurately diagnose pelvic congestion syndrome. Then, we can answer your questions and determine if coiling is the next best step for you.
