The medical history (history of the patient) represents an important component in the diagnosis of acute or chronic pelvic pain.
Family history
- What is the general health of your family members?
- Are there any diseases in your family that are common?
Social history
- What is your profession?
- Are you exposed to harmful working substances in your profession?
- Is there any evidence of psychosocial stress or strain due to your family situation?
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- How long has the pain been present?
- Has there been any change in the pain?
- Become stronger?
- Do you occur in episodes?
- Does the pain radiate?
- Where exactly is the pain localized?
- Did the pain come on suddenly* or did it develop slowly?
- What is the character of the pain? Sharp, dull, burning, tearing, colicky, etc.?
- Have you noticed any other symptoms: e.g. fever, meteorism (flatulence)?
- If a woman reports pelvic pain, the following questions are required:
- When was your last menstrual period?
- Do you have a change in your menstrual period? (Longer?, shorter?, weaker?, outside of your period?)
- Do you have pain during your period? If yes,
- Since the beginning of your first menstrual period?
- Only later after the first menstrual period (since when?)
- Do you have vaginal discharge?
- Could you be pregnant?
Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.
- Have you lost body weight unintentionally in the recent past? If so, how many kilograms in what time?
- Have you noticed any changes in bowel movements? Frequency? Quantity? Impurities? Pain?
- Do you smoke? If so, how many cigarettes, cigars, or pipes per day?
- Do you drink alcohol more often? If yes, what drink(s) and how many glasses of it per day?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, which drugs and how often per day or per week?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Previous diseases (gynecological and urological diseases, neoplasms).
- Operations
- Radiotherapy
- Vaccination status
- Allergies
- Pregnancies
- Environmental history
- Medication history (see also under “Abdominal pain due to medication”).