Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Report

Investigating the impact of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome in the UK

The Impact of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Report »

Over the last year we have been working with PB Consulting and Boston Scientific to investigate the impact of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) in the UK.

This little-known condition often leaves women in desperate need of answers, whilst they navigate their way through the health care system in order to find the right diagnosis. The truth is that millions of women suffer from some form of pelvic pain during the course of their lives and admittedly, not all of them with this type of pain will be sufferers of PCS, but for those who have the syndrome, the pathway to diagnosis can be bleak.

Pelvic Congestion Syndrome is a condition where varicose veins develop in the pelvis. As with varicose veins in the legs, if the valves fail in the pelvic veins, blood that should be pumped out of the pelvis and back to the heart stays inside dilated varicose veins within the pelvis. This both stops the normal blood circulation to the pelvic organs and also causes these large varicose veins to push on the pelvic organs – the bladder, bowel, vagina and also the pelvic floor.

As part of this report, almost 100 women were surveyed and the findings are rather appalling. On average the respondents had 16 GP appointments before diagnosis and some patients had as many as 13 diagnostic tests during the 4 years it took for them to be correctly diagnosed. As a leading varicose vein clinic, The Whiteley Clinic have been researching and developing techniques to diagnose PCS and have identified the TransVaginal duplex scan or TVS as it is known to be the ‘gold standard’ test to diagnose pelvic vein reflux.

Perturbed by the findings from the survey, a Freedom of Information request was sent to all 154 NHS Hospital Trusts in the UK and shockingly only 5 trusts said that they offered a specific test for Pelvic Congestion Syndrome!

If you would like a free copy of this report, please click on the link below.

The Impact of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Report »

If you would like more information on Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, please contact our Patient Service Centre on 01483 477180