Common causes of prolonged lower abdominal pain includes:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Gynecological problems such as ovarian or uterine growth or cysts
- Endometriosis
- Chronic constipation
- Non-specific functional pain
The signs and symptoms to watch for includes:
- Diarrhoea
- Fever
- Bowel habit change
- Blood in your stools
- Weight loss
- Menstrual irregularities
Chronic symptoms that are mild and episodic or migratory in nature tend to point towards a benign cause while recurrent fever, weight loss, blood in your stools or progressive pain need proper attention.
Visit your family doctor if you are worried or if your symptoms are progressive in terms of frequency, the intensity of duration. Pain always located at the same location may need further investigation such as a CT scan. At times, minimally invasive investigations such as endoscopy may also be required.
