LOWER ABDOMINAL PAIN CAUSES AND TREATMENT

Abdominal bloating gives you a sense of fullness in your stomach and can cause your abdomen to appear larger. Lower abdominal pain, or pelvic pain, refers to discomfort that occurs at or below your bellybutton. Although, pain can arise from the tissues of the abdominal wall that surrounds the abdominal cavity (such as the skin and the muscles), the term abdominal pain generally is used to describe discomfort originating from organs within the abdominal cavity. Organs of the abdomen include the stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas.

 

 

Occasionally, pain may be felt in the belly even though it is arising from organs that are close to, but not within, the abdominal cavity, for example, conditions of the lower lungs, the kidneys, and the uterus or ovaries. On the other hand, it also is possible for pain from organs within the belly to be felt outside of it. For example, the pain of pancreatic inflammation may be felt in the back. These latter types of pain are described as "referred” because it does not originate in the location that it is felt. Rather, the cause is located away from where it is felt (i.e., it is referred to as a different area).

What Causes Abdominal Pain?

Swallowing excess air, eating high-fat foods that delay stomach emptying, and even stress can contribute to abdominal bloating and lower abdominal pain.

Intestinal and stomach-related conditions that may cause these symptoms include constipation, gastroenteritis, colitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), intestinal obstruction, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. 

Conditions related to reproductive organs that may cause these symptoms include ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy, endometriosis, menstrual pain, PMS (premenstrual syndrome), ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

Other possible causes of these symptoms include appendicitis, hernia cystitis, medications, cirrhosis, intra-abdominal cancers, drug allergy and food allergy.

When Can You Seek Medical Help?

Seek medical help as soon as possible if an inability to pass gas and uncontrolled vomiting accompany your symptoms. These symptoms could indicate that a serious condition is causing your symptoms. You should also seek emergency treatment if you have any of the following symptoms associated with abdominal bloating or pelvic pain: fever, vomiting blood, passing dark maroon, or bloody stool, abnormal vaginal discharge, a sudden worsening of pain.

How Can You Treat Abdominal Pain / Lower Abdominal Pain?

Your doctor will first try to determine the reason for your symptoms by asking questions. They may want to know when you noticed the pain, what makes it worse, and whether you have experienced it before. This article may not contain a complete list of treatment options for the conditions that may cause abdominal bloating and pelvic pain, but some examples of treatments for certain conditions include the following:

• Your doctor may be able to treat an intestinal blockage with intravenous fluids, bowel rest, and a nasogastric tube, but sometimes surgery is necessary.
• A ruptured appendix requires surgery as treatment.
• Your doctor can give you antibiotics to treat bacterial gastroenteritis, colitis, or PID.
• At-home and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can reduce these symptoms if they’re due to painful menstruation.

However, if you want to administer treatment by yourself at home due to one or more reasons, some treatment methods are listed below just for you.

Home treatments

Bloating and lower abdominal pain due to digestion issues or menstruation will typically resolve with time. You can do some things at home that may help relieve bloating and lower abdominal pain due to certain causes:

• Exercising. Exercising can release air and gas that’s built up in the stomach.
• Increasing your fluid intake can reduce constipation.
• Taking OTC acid-reducing medications can treat heartburn or acid reflux.
• Taking mild OTC pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, may also lessen abdominal pain.
• Eat less food
• Take small amounts of baking soda
• Use lemon and/or lime juice

Prevention

Can abdominal boating / pelvic pain be prevented?

Well, Yes!

Certain foods and drinks can contribute to abdominal bloating and lower abdominal pain. Avoiding one or more of foods such as beans, beer, cabbage, chewing gum, high-fat foods, turnips, lentils, carbonated beverages, hard candy and so on may help prevent these symptoms.

Smoking can also increase symptoms. If you quit smoking, you’ll not only reduce these symptoms but also help your overall health. Increasing your fiber intake by eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may help prevent constipation.