Yes I have a syndrome, Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and I’m really not too happy about it.
For months I have been living with this dull achy pain in my abdomen that I chalked up to pms, ovulation, and just overall perimenpoause aches and pains. At times I would feel so bloated and uncomfortable that I would pop a couple of advil for some relief but mostly I just lived with it and pressed on.
After putting it off for months I decided that ignoring it was not the brightest solution and I have to admit I was starting to worry that it might be cervical or ovarian cancer. After an internal exam by my obgyn he suggested I have an ultrasound to see what was up. It was all right there on the ultrasound-I have very prominent varicose veins (in the ultrasound image above the veins are the black squiggly things) running through my pelvic area which would explain the bloating, aches, feeling the need to urinate, and lower back pain.
After the doctor explained this diagnosis to me he prescribed Norethindrone which is a type of female hormone (progestin). It is like the hormone progesterone that your body makes naturally. The hope is that after a couple of weeks this will work to shrink the veins and relieve me from the pain. I go back to the doctor in one month.
When I got home I immediately started doing some research on PCS and was kind of relieved that all of the symptoms I was experiencing was exactly how PCS was described. As I read several articles I learned that there really is no specific cause just that it usually happens to women aged 20-45 who have had multiple pregnancies and have a tipped uterus. I fit that description to a tee.
I also learned that medication rarely helps in the treatment of this so I guess I just have to wait and see if medication is the solution for me. If not I guess I will be discussing the current surgical options with my doctor. I will keep y’all posted!
Have you ever heard of PCS before or know of anyone who has suffered from it? We’d love to hear about it! Leave us a comment below.
