posted and copyrighted May 29, 2007

Dear Nina and Rita,

Recently I have been having pain in my lower pelvis. I am sexually active, so I just didn’t know if it could be PID or something else.

Signed,
Mindy

Dear Mindy,

You didn’t say if you are having pain in your lower pelvis all the time, only during sex, or only when someone hits your stomach very hard with a yardstick.  If your lower pelvis hurts all (or most) of the time, you should go to the doctor immediately.  It could be any number of ailments, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a urinary tract infection (UTI), or endometriosis.  Does it only hurt during sex?  Sometimes, if you’re not comfortable (physically or psychologically), penetration hurts.  Sometimes sex hurts because the last guy really banged you (and your cervix). There may be inflamed areas, like bruises, which need time to heal.  Sometimes, there is a slight imbalance of bacteria and yeast, and this can cause soreness, too.  Soreness and minor imbalances might clear up on their own.  Take a break from having sex for a week and get lots of rest.  Then, if you’re still feeling pain during sex, you should definitely go to the doctor because it’s likely that it’s a more serious inflammation or sexually transmitted infection that can and should be treated with antibiotics.

All our love and more,
Nina and Rita