What is the cause of pelvic congestion syndrome?

Pelvic congestion syndrome is caused by swollen varicose veins in the female pelvis. These varicose veins are caused by malfunctioning valves in the ovarian and internal iliac veins. Usually blood is taken away from the pelvis by these veins. If the valves stop working, the blood falls back into the pelvis making the veins swell and become ‘congested’.

The symptoms of pelvic congestion syndrome are caused by these varicose veins pushing on the other organs in the pelvis:

• Pressure of the varicose veins downwards on the floor of the pelvis gives the aching or dragging sensation, especially on standing
• Pressure on the rectum causes bowel symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome
• Pressure on the bladder causes irritable bladder and sometimes stress incontinence
• Pressure on the vagina can cause deep dyspareunia (discomfort on sexual intercourse)

After a vaginal birth, the valves in the veins of the vagina can be damaged, allowing blood to escape from the pelvic varicose veins and into veins in the vagina, vulva and legs - causing varicose veins in any, or all three, of these places (see www.vulval-varicose-veins.co.uk).

How do I know if I have pelvic congestion syndrome?

If you suspect that you have the signs or symptoms of pelvic congestion syndrome then the simplest and most certain way of finding out is by having a specialised duplex ultrasound scan of your pelvis.

Performed across the vagina, the experts at The Whiteley Clinic are not only able to see if there are varicose veins in the pelvis, but which underlying veins are causing them. This information is essential to guide treatment. At the same time, expert ultrasonographers check the uterus and ovaries to make sure everything appears healthy.

Can pelvic congestion syndrome be treated?

The simple answer is yes. At The Whiteley Clinic we have been developing treatment of this condition since 1999 along with our colleagues at The Imaging Clinic.

The treatment is a simple local anaesthetic procedure performed under x-ray control and sedation if you wish.

It is highly successful and we check our patients, with a follow up ultrasound scan six weeks after the procedure, to make sure the condition has been totally cured. We have already published the technique in medical journals and are currently producing long-term follow-up results showing the excellent outcomes in the vast majority of our patients even after five years.