Pelvic pain, but only at night. What could this be?

[BarbaraVineFan]

I am 45 and have a mirena coil which means that I don't get periods and have no real idea where I am in my cycle. In the last couple of years I used to have pelvic pain in the night sometimes , but now it is almost every night. It comes on in the early hours, waking me up, and is a bit like period pain in that it doesn't seem to be localized. Sometimes I need to take painkillers. Sometimes it is alleviated by having a poo, but not always.

I did go to the doctor about it a year or so ago, but was fobbed off.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be please?

Hopeful bump

Could it be your mattress is too hard or constipation ?

Could it be some kind of pelvic instability? I have joint hyper mobility syndrome, and if I don't sleep with a pillow between my knees, mid way through the night I get pain like a belt all round. It feels a bit like period pain, a bit like constipation, a bit like joint pain. Do you sleep on your stomach? If I do, it's sooo bad

Thanks for replies!

@okydokethen I don't think it can be my mattress, as it happens wherever I sleep.

@CheeseDreamsTonight No idea about pelvic instability! How could I tell if I had it?

I’d for sure go back to the GP but if it’s a period type pain, I agree with this. I have the same thing and it’s my pelvic ligaments and pelvic floor. Caused by pregnancy with a giant baby and exacerbated by running.

When it’s bad I can feel it during the day as well, but if it’s just grumbling then it’s at night I feel it. I have a mirena too and only a vague idea of my cycle but it’s worse around the time when I would have a period. I saw a physiotherapist who gave me a running ban, a set of daily exercises and some advice about my posture and it helped really quickly. I now do some gentle Pilates a few times a week, some pelvic floor stuff and try to make sure if I’m sat at a desk all day that I get up and go for a walk.

There are loads of routines online for relieving hip and pelvis pain. They give me immediate relief if I’ve not done my exercises. I have been known to stretch out my hips on the landing at 3am. It really helps

Could be this

www.uofmhealth.org/conditions-treatments/adult-urology/interstitial-cystitisic-bladder-pain-syndrome

IBS if alliviated by passing stools. It can feel like period pains. I experinced it really badly in my early 20s.
A visit to the Gp will narrow things down. I would see another Dr just change.

Hi. I’d rebook to see another G.P. Ask if you can see a female doctor. Perhaps the coil
has dislodged and you need a new one. Hope you get sorted. Tell the doctor the pain means you can’t always sleep.x

Experiencing similar myself .Lower back pain waking me in the night- some pelvic aching too .I too have seen GP and fobbed off.
It can disappear for a few days but comes back and the waking me in the night is a real pest .
Had also thought it was worse if bowels not moved and a physio I saw privately suggested 'over tight pelvic floor'.
I'm 56 and post meno.
You have my sympathy .

I have exactly this too. Have had it for years, various scans and checks without result. I've got a doctors appointment in a couple of weeks to discuss it again. I can only sleep for two hours at night before the pain wakes me up. It's particularly bad at the moment (seems to flare up but never completely goes away) and it's giving me pain in the daytime too. Mine is centred on the lower right side but radiates all across from hip to hip.

@Candypatthongworn and @BadgersGalore I'm so sorry you're suffering too. It's very frustrating, isn't it?

Pelvic congestion syndrome but I have no idea how that is diagnosed or is it the female gynae version of IBS. Like everything is being squeezed hip to hip mainly at night.

I just had a read about pelvic congestion syndrome and one of the symptoms is pain when standing or sitting that's better when lying down, which is the opposite of me and the OP.

Just a wee update -saw a different physio this week and in my case is suggesting facet joint dysfunction - which apparently can cause pelvic pains to the extent some women have gynae surgery which they didn't actually need because the link to lumbar facet joint issues were not explored.
Just wish I could get a decent nights sleep and my tailbone would stop throbbing .

Have you tried putting a firm pillow between your knees? It can make a huge difference.

I always sleep with a pillow between my knees and another one behind my back (side sleeper). Along with my 'special' pillow for my sensitive ears. I can't believe I once used to be able to sleep anywhere! 😂

Hey OP, did you have any luck finding out what your pain is? I posted up thread with similar symptoms. I saw the GP last week and she ordered blood tests which were all ok (including the CA-125 which I was relieved about as ovarian cancer worries me) and I'm being sent for another internal ultrasound, this time looking at my kidneys as well, although I don't have any kidney symptoms.

I'm having a particularly achy day today and feeling heavy and clogged in my pelvis, and bloated like I'm a couple of months pregnant. Do you suffer bloating too? Today my belly was normal on getting up but after a couple of hours it was swollen, and I'd only drunk black tea and not eaten anything.