Pelvic Pain & Female Sexual Disorders

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to pelvic pain, gynecologic conditions, and female sexual disorders as discussed in the lecture notes.

Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP)

A very common condition, affecting approximately 1 in 7 women, accounting for 40% of Primary Care Provider or Gynecology visits for main complaint, and the primary reason for up to 35% of laparoscopies and 12% of hysterectomies. It is defined as pain below the umbilicus lasting more than 3 months.

Referred Pain

Pain experienced distant from the actual site of origin.

Somatic Pain

Pain originating from the parietal peritoneum, characterized as fast, sharp, and localized.

Visceral Pain

Pain originating from the visceral peritoneum, characterized as slow, poorly localized, dull, and achy, often bilateral and referring to the midline.

Acute Pelvic Pain (APP)

Pain below the umbilicus lasting less than 3 months.

Cyclic Pelvic Pain

Pain below the umbilicus, exacerbated before and during menses.

Dysmenorrhea

Recurrent crampy pelvic pain around menses, which can refer to the back and legs.

Dyspareunia

Pelvic pain experienced with sexual intercourse.

Extrauterine Pregnancy

A pregnancy that develops outside the uterus.

Ectopic Pregnancy

A specific type of extrauterine pregnancy where the embryo implants and grows outside the uterine cavity, most commonly in the fallopian tube, considered a medical emergency.

Methotrexate

A chemotherapeutic drug that inhibits DNA replication, used as a standard treatment for unruptured ectopic pregnancy.

Salpingostomy

A surgical procedure to resect an ectopic pregnancy to preserve the fallopian tube.

Salpingectomy

A surgical procedure involving the removal of the fallopian tube.

Spontaneous Abortion (SAb) / Miscarriage

The loss of a pregnancy from natural causes before 20 weeks.

Induced Abortion

The medically induced loss of a pregnancy for therapeutic or elective reasons.

Threatened Abortion

Vaginal bleeding without cervical dilation in a pregnant person.

Inevitable Abortion

Vaginal bleeding with cervical dilation, usually involving more bleeding and cramping, with products of conception typically seen in the lower uterine segment or cervix on ultrasound.

Complete Abortion

The complete loss of products of conception, after which bleeding stops, the cervical os is closed, and the uterus appears empty on ultrasound.

Incomplete Abortion

The partial loss of products of conception, characterized by vaginal bleeding, dilation of the cervical canal, and passage of some but not all tissue, often leaving retained products of conception (RPOC).

Retained Products of Conception (RPOC)

Any fetal or placental tissue that remains in the uterus after an abortion or miscarriage, which can be dangerous and lead to complications like infection.

Dilation and Curettage (D&C)

A procedure to remove retained products of conception, typically used for pregnancies under 12 weeks.

Stillbirth

The loss of a pregnancy after the 20th week of pregnancy, occurring before or during delivery.

Corpus Luteum Cyst in Pregnancy

A specific type of ovarian cyst that fills with blood or fluid inside the ovary during pregnancy.

Ovarian Cyst Rupture

An abrupt, sharp, unilateral lower pelvic pain, often after exercise or sex, potentially causing hemoperitoneum (blood in the peritoneal space).

Ovarian Torsion

An abrupt, sharp, unilateral lower pelvic pain that progressively worsens over several hours, often with vomiting; a medical emergency.

Abruptio Placentae / Placental Abruption

The premature separation of a normally implanted placenta from the uterus, usually after 20 weeks gestation, considered a medical emergency.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)

A serious complication characterized by widespread clotting, chest pain, dyspnea, and bleeding, often seen with placental abruption.

Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

The ascension of an infection from the external genitalia and lower female genital tract into the upper female genital tract (uterus, fallopian tubes, surrounding tissues).

Tubo-ovarian Abscess (TOA)

A complication of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), involving an abscess in the fallopian tube and/or ovary.

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome (Perihepatitis)

A complication of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) characterized by inflammation of the liver capsule.

Endometriosis

A condition where endometrial mucosa is abnormally implanted in locations outside the uterine cavity, most commonly outside the uterus, on ovaries, and pelvic peritoneum.

Dyschezia

Pain on defecation, which can be a symptom of endometriosis.

Catamenial Seizures

Seizures exacerbated by menses, an unusual presentation of endometriosis.

Adenomyosis

The growth of endometrium inside the myometrium (muscular wall of the uterus).

Boggy Uterus

A descriptive term for a diffusely enlarged, tender, spongy, squishy, fluid-filled uterus, suggestive of adenomyosis.

Uterine Leiomyoma (Fibroid)

Benign tumors composed of an overgrowth of smooth muscle and connective tissue in the uterus; the most common benign gynecologic tumor.

Submucosal Fibroid

A type of uterine leiomyoma (fibroid) located beneath the uterine lining, most likely to cause menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding).

Oophoropexy

A surgical procedure to suture the ovary, often performed after ovarian torsion to prevent recurrence.

Acute Appendicitis

Inflammation of the appendix, usually caused by blockage or infection, classically presenting as dull periumbilical pain that localizes to the Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ).

Mesenteric Adenitis

Inflammation of the mesenteric lymph nodes, often due to infection, which can be difficult to differentiate from acute appendicitis.

Acute Diverticulitis

Inflammation of diverticula (benign outpouchings of colonic mucosa), typically causing Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ) pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Diverticulosis

The presence of small pouches (diverticula) that bulge outward through weak spots in the colon wall, which can progress to diverticulitis.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

An idiopathic immune dysregulation disease that includes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD).

Ulcerative Colitis (UC)

A type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) localized to the colonic mucosa.

Crohn's Disease (CD)

A type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that can affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

A 'functional' GI diagnosis characterized by chronic abdominal pain and bloating that improves with a bowel movement, feelings of incomplete evacuation, and/or passage of mucus, and a change in bowel habits.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

An infection anywhere in the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Cystitis

A specific type of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) involving infection and inflammation of the bladder.

Pyelonephritis

An infection and inflammation of the kidney (an upper UTI).

Dysuria

Burning pain with urination, a common symptom of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

Suprapubic Tenderness

Tenderness or discomfort in the area above the pubic bone, often associated with bladder issues like cystitis.

Costovertebral Angle Tenderness

Tenderness elicited by percussion over the costovertebral angle (the area on the back over the kidneys), often suggesting an upper Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) or pyelonephritis.

Nephrolithiasis / Renal Calculi (Kidney Stones)

Hard, solid masses made of crystals that form inside the kidneys, causing excruciating flank and back pain often radiating to the groin.

Primary Dysmenorrhea

Painful menstruation occurring in the absence of pelvic pathology, typically with onset shortly after menarche.

Secondary Dysmenorrhea

Painful menstruation resulting from an identifiable organic disease, such as endometriosis or adenomyosis, with onset typically in the 20s or 30s after previously painless cycles.

Mittelschmerz (Ovulation Pain)

Midcycle unilateral pelvic pain, meaning "middle pain" in German, experienced by an estimated 20% of women.

Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

A condition characterized by varicose veins in the pelvis, which can cause chronic pelvic pain.

Mullerian Duct Abnormalities (MDA)

Congenital abnormalities affecting the development of the female reproductive tract.

Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD)

A DSM V diagnosis encompassing sexual disorders of arousal, orgasm, or pain.

Vaginismus

Involuntary contractions of the vaginal muscles.

Vulvodynia

Chronic pain of the vulva without a known cause, enduring for more than 3 months.

Vestibulodynia

Pain of the vaginal orifice, often described as a cutting or burning sensation.

Arousal Non-Concordance

A lack of harmony between subjective arousal (feeling "turned on") and physiological genital arousal (erect genital tissue, vaginal secretions).