5 Signs of Pelvic Venous Congestion Syndrome

When most people try to picture problem veins, they usually imagine twisting, bulging varicose veins in the legs. But your legs aren’t the only part of your body where the valves that control blood flow through the vein can fail. You can come up against a similar problem in your pelvis.

Pelvic venous congestion syndrome (PVCS), which most commonly occurs in young women and affects the ovarian and pelvic veins, causes persistent pain.  But a proper diagnosis and treatment plan can ease your discomfort. 

Our team at Vascular & Interventional Associates specializes in treating PVCS and is here to help women throughout northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. Visit our team in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, if any of these signs sound familiar. 

Symptoms that may point to pelvic venous congestion syndrome

The blood flow problems from PVCS often cause a dull, achy pelvic pain. Standing for a long time might make it worse, while lying down might help it. Many women only experience discomfort from pelvic venous congestion syndrome on one side. 

Five of the most common signs of this condition include:

1. Aching pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen
2. A dragging, heavy sensation in the pelvis
3. Stress incontinence (difficulty controlling your bladder)
4. A full feeling in your legs
5. Symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (diarrhea, constipation)

If you’ve had pelvic pain for six months or more, PVCS could be to blame. That’s particularly true if you’ve had more than one child, because pregnancy may contribute to the development of this condition. 

What to do if you think you might have PVCS

If you’ve been experiencing the above symptoms, contact the team at Vascular & Interventional Associates. We have a variety of tools we can use to find out if you’re living with pelvic venous congestion syndrome and to treat the condition. 

An examination might reveal varicose veins we can see around the vulva or on the inner thigh. Even if you haven’t spotted any potential problem veins, they may be hiding under the surface of your skin. To evaluate the blood flow in your pelvis, we can use other tools like ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT).

If our team suspects you have PVCS, we can confirm it with a diagnostic tool called pelvic venography. This lets us see your abnormal veins clearly so we can develop a treatment plan for you. 

As experts in treating problem veins, we can safely seal off the veins in question with options like sclerotherapy or embolization, for example. We work with you to bring you relief from the persistent pain caused by PVCS.

If you think your symptoms might point to pelvic venous congestion syndrome, don’t wait to call our office staff at Vascular & Interventional Associates or request an appointment online today.