Also known as abdominal cramps, is mostly associated with the digestive parts of the body. Although there can be a multitude of causes, the distinct areas of pain provides clues on the possible causes of lower abdominal pain. Furthermore, depending on the type of pain felt, the seriousness and urgency for medical help can be determined. This means that thorough assessment is needed long with some tests to accurately determine the cause.
Lower abdominal pain usually starts below the umbilicus. Some may also refer to it as pelvic pain. The discomfort can be caused by a lot of factors and may be chronic or acute. The pelvis can also be used as a point of reference and the pain can be localized in the left or right area. The pains can last from a short intermittent span to a long period of time. There can be a multitude of reasons for the pains some can be from infections, sexually transmitted diseases, lymphomas, diabetes, kidney stones, menstrual cramps, vaginitis, tumors, endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, appendicitis and bowel disorders. And though these types of causes may present themselves in particular areas of the lower abdomen, there can still be several diagnostic exams to be performed to determined the actual problem.
Lower abdominal pain is mostly experienced by women because there is pain present on menstruation. The intensity of the cramps may vary depending of the amount of pain that an individual can manage. Also, there are several usual culprits of pelvic pain in women. One is inflammation of the bladder or cystitis. Due to the anatomical position of the female urinary system, women are commonly predisposed to infection more so than men. Another cause can be from kidney stones, wherein the pain is usually located on the flank area and are usually described as sharp and knife like pain. This can be due to the stones moving and damaging the urinary tract and the bladder. Pain can also come from the fallopian tubes, uterus or the ovary. This type of pain can be located centrally on the pelvis. Dysmenorrhea during menstruation is another cause of lower abdominal pain. Ovarian cysts can also cause pain, they can be experienced bilaterally or only on either side of the pelvic region. Endometriosis results to pain in the uterus similar to the ones caused by fibroids. Pelvic inflammatory disease can also cause pain on the central area of the pelvis and may radiate at the sides. And lastly, ectopic pregnancy can also cause pain that may be usually felt of the fallopian tube areas near the flanks.
