May 26, 2025
Groundbreaking treatment transforms the lives of women with chronic pelvic pain
Study reveals pain alleviated for close to 100 per cent of pelvic congestion syndrome sufferers as world marks Pelvic Pain Awareness Month
Chronic pelvic pain has cast a long shadow over the lives of countless women throughout the world, disrupting their careers, study, health, relationships, and daily activities.
But a study from the 精东传媒 of 精东传媒 (UOW) has revealed how a medical treatment that has long been used on cardiovascular patients has transformed the lives of women affected by chronic pelvic pain. The novel application has allowed the women to reclaim their lives and sense of self.
The findings are detailed in a paper, co-authored by UOW’s and , in the Journal of Vascular Surgery Venous and Lymphatic Disorders.
The minimally invasive approach, known as iliac stenting, focuses on blocked pelvic veins using a similar approach to that used in the treatment of blocked arteries. A balloon or stent is placed inside the vein to fix the blockage, alleviating the pain and providing significant and sustained relief for close to 100 per cent of patients.
The study was focused on 113 women, aged between 17 and 88, who underwent the procedure. Some had been suffering from pelvic pain for up to 25 years, with an average of seven years.
The patients were suffering from Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (varicose veins in the pelvis), which is increasingly being recognised as a main contributor to chronic pelvic pain. Pelvic Congestion Syndrome is the cause of about a third of all diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain.
Associate Professor Larkin, from UOW’s Graduate School of Medicine, said the results showed how excruciating chronic pelvic pain can be.
“Before treatment, the average score for these women’s pelvic pain was a seven out of 10, with 10 being the most pain possible. The treatment resulted in pain improvements in almost all the patients (98 per cent) with most of these women (at 73 per cent) having full resolution of their pain and the rest having less than three out of 10 residual pain after stenting,” she said.
Associate Professor Villalba, a vascular surgeon and Honorary Fellow in the Graduate School of Medicine, said the results were astounding and offered hope to those suffering from chronic pelvic pain.
“Women who once struggled to sit, work, exercise, have intercourse, who experienced immense pain on a daily basis, have been given back their lives and their freedom,” she said.
“We have followed these patients for almost a decade now and have observed long-term benefit, meaning the pain did not come back. This is particularly important considering that younger women had the worst pelvic pain.
“One of the most significant findings of the study is that when women had one or multiple pregnancies after getting the stent, their pain did not return, and the stent did not affect the pregnancy and the pregnancy did not affect the patency of the stent.”
May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month, a worldwide event that raises awareness of the debilitating social, physical, mental, and financial impact of chronic pelvic pain.
Affecting up to 25 per cent of women of reproductive age and nearly half of Australian women at some point in their lives, chronic pelvic pain can be difficult to diagnose and manage.
Associate Professor Villalba said women often suffered in silence, dismissed by medical professionals or discouraged by their experiences attempting to seek help for their conditions. Yet the study showed that the pain is curable for many women.
“There is a widespread misconception that pelvic pain is normal. It is extremely common, but that does not mean it is normal,” Associate Professor Villalba said.
“Pelvic pain of ‘venous origin’ is not commonly investigated, leaving up to a third of patients underdiagnosed and undertreated, and depriving them of the opportunity to live life with their full potential.
“It is not uncommon for me to hear women who have been told ‘It is all in your head’, or ‘You need to learn to live with the pain’, when doctors can't find a reason for the pain. This research shows that chronic pelvic pain is curable. We were able to give them back their ability to live a life without pain, without restrictions.
“One of my patients recently got pregnant and came to me with tears in her eyes, telling me that before treatment she would have never imagine she could have a relationship and start a family.”
About the research
‘Illiac venous stenting provides long-term relief from chronic pelvic pain’ by Laurencia Villalba and Theresa Larkin was published in Journal of Vascular Surgery Venous and Lymphatic Disorders: