5 Things You Need to Know About Frozen Pelvis

Frozen pelvis is a condition where organs of the pelvis stick to each other causing anatomical distortions in the pelvic organs. Here are five things you need to know about this condition.

Frozen pelvis is the most advanced stage of endometriosis

Frozen pelvis is an advanced form of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). In frozen pelvis, the deep infiltrating lesions become fibrotic and replace the soft tissues. A subsequent immune response against this results in scarring and the formation of adhesions. This causes the organs in the organs in the pelvic cavity to become immobile and distorted as they get attached to the bones and other organs including the abdomen, cul-de-sac, pelvic sidewalls, or even nerves, lymph nodes, and muscular layers.

Frozen pelvis is rare

DIE itself is a rare condition affecting less than 1% of women of reproductive age and frozen pelvis is therefore even rarer and only very experienced specialists can treat it.

It can be very painful

Frozen pelvis affects several aspects of pelvic and abdominal function. This includes bowel obstruction and symptoms such as painful bowel movements, painful intercourse, severe leg pain, and pain during menstruation.

The adhesive nature of the scars may prevent you from being able to cross your legs or even make it hard to sit.

The condition may also affect the sciatic and pudendal nerves resulting in radiating pain in the lower back, feet, perineum, genitalia, and the pelvic floor. With frozen pelvis you may also experience the need for frequent urination, bloating, and diarrhea.

It is difficult to treat

Diagnosing and treating frozen pelvis is difficult due to the lack of flexibility in the pelvic area. The endometriosis lesions and the scarring need to be carefully excised by a highly skilled surgeon.

Surgery involves dealing with endometriosis lesions infiltrating the bowels, bladder, colon, and ureter. Your surgeon must take extreme care to navigate around organs affected by these lesions without affecting the ureters and important nerves such as the sciatic nerve.

Your doctor must listen to all your symptoms

Frozen pelvis can be extremely debilitating and can drastically reduce a patient’s quality of life. Even a routine vaginal examination to diagnose the condition can be extremely painful.

Therefore, your surgeon must have an empathetic approach in listening to your symptoms. The symptoms you describe can be vital clues in helping your surgeon assess where the scarring has occurred.

Your surgeon should also explain the findings of the examination to you and apprise you of the surgical procedure and associated complications.

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