Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Survey

To access the survey, please follow the link https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JLLN9KB

Raising awareness of PCS

Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) or Pelvic Venous Congestion (PVC) is not something many people would have heard of. Yet the condition is remarkably common – some authorities estimate up to 40% of women aged 19-50 suffer from it.

Whilst some women with PCS may suffer very few symptoms, for others it is a very debilitating condition, leaving them unable to lead a normal life. PCS is caused by ‘pelvic vein reflux” (PVR) which causes “pelvic varicose veins’. Venous blood is normally pumped out of the pelvis and back to the heart. However if the valves in the pelvic veins fail, the venous blood falls back into the veins in the pelvis. This blood falling back into the pelvic veins causes them to stretch. These dilated veins become the varicose veins within the pelvis causing PCS.

The experts at The Whiteley Clinic are promoting awareness of the condition to help prevent women from suffering unnecessarily. It was specialists at The Whiteley Clinic that developed the test for pelvic vein reflux and have been at the forefront of treating this condition.

To aid more women to get help, an increased understanding of the condition and its often debilitating impact on a patient’s life is needed. The medical technology and techniques to properly diagnose and treat PCS do exist. However it is often a long and difficult process for patients to get timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Many patients with PCS may never get diagnosed or treated. This really isn’t acceptable in the modern world and must change.

Shining a light on PCS experiences and struggles

We are currently conducting a survey on patients’ experiences of getting diagnosis and treatment for PCS. Even the early results that we have had so far have been eye opening.

We have learnt from initial responses that:

• PCS can affect women of any age – respondents so far have ranged from 16 to 60
• The key symptom we are hearing about is pain – constant and life impacting pain for many respondents
• Many women are not getting the right diagnostic test (TVS) or having to go through a whole range of tests in order to get an accurate diagnosis
• Many women have also been forced to go through unsuccessful treatments before finally getting the right treatment
• Diagnosis for the majority of respondents took many years. We are seeing many examples of woman not being diagnosed until up to ten years after first presenting to their GP
• There is a lack of information on PCS available for patients – many respondents have had to undertake their own research on the internet in order to find out more about the condition

Taking part in our survey

Have you suffered or are you suffering from PCS? Do these initial responses reflect your own experience of the condition? Have you got a different story to share?

We would like to hear about your experiences if you are suffering from PCS or if you have suffered in the past. All responses can be submitted anonymously. Our survey will only take a few minutes to complete.

To take part please follow this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JLLN9KB

For more information about Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, please see the information on our website. Alternatively, contact us using the contact form, email at info@thewhiteleyclinic.co.uk or call us on 01483 477180