Common Gynecologic Symptoms
Depending on your gynecologic condition, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
Pain
Pain can be described in many ways. It is often measured with a simple 0-10 scale where 0 equals no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine. Describing your pain can help your doctor to pinpoint the condition. Each of the following may indicate a different condition:
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Pelvic discomfort
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Pelvic pressure
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Abdominal tenderness
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Abdominal cramps
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Back ache
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Back pain
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Painful urination and/or bowel movements
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Pain during intercourse
Bleeding
Monthly periods are different for each woman. Menstrual bleeding can also be different before and after childbirth, with age, and with any medications you regularly take. The following are examples of bleeding patterns that are linked to specific gynecologic conditions:
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Very heavy or abnormal bleeding
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Bleeding longer than 7 days
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Periods lasting longer than 21 days
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Periods more than 35 days apart
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Spotting/bleeding between periods
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Spotting/bleeding after menopause
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Passing blood clots
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Bleeding after intercourse
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Vaginal discharge tinged with blood
Other Symptoms
Besides pain or irregular bleeding, there are other symptoms many women have that are linked to certain gynecologic conditions.
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Difficulty urinating or having bowel movements
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Infertility (cannot get pregnant/miscarriages)
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Feeling of pressure on your bladder or rectum
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Slipping or dropping of your vagina or uterus
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Feeling heaviness or pressure in your pelvis
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Constant abdominal pressure
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Swelling or bloating
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Urgent need to urinate
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Recurrent urinary tract infections
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Pain while standing or walking
Talk to Your Doctor
See your doctor if you are bothered by your symptoms. They may go away on their own or need treatment. Some gynecologic conditions can be eased with lifestyle changes or medicine, and others may require surgery.
Common gynecologic conditions include: endometriosis/adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, pelvic prolapse or possibly, cancer.
You can learn more about each condition on this site. However, this information is not a substitute for your doctor's advice. Communicating your symptoms with your doctor will help him/her to make an accurate diagnosis and provide you with the right treatment for your condition.
Serious complications may occur in any surgery, including da Vinci® Surgery, up to and including death. Examples of serious or life-threatening complications, which may require prolonged and/or unexpected hospitalization and/or reoperation, include but are not limited to, one or more of the following: injury to tissues/organs, bleeding, infection and internal scarring that can cause long-lasting dysfunction/pain. Risks of surgery also include the potential for equipment failure and/or human error. Individual surgical results may vary.
Risks specific to minimally invasive surgery, including da Vinci Surgery, include but are not limited to, one or more of the following: temporary pain/nerve injury associated with positioning; temporary pain/discomfort from the use of air or gas in the procedure; a longer operation and time under anesthesia and conversion to another surgical technique. If your doctor needs to convert the surgery to another surgical technique, this could result in a longer operative time, additional time under anesthesia, additional or larger incisions and/or increased complications.
Patients who are not candidates for non-robotic minimally invasive surgery are also not candidates for da Vinci® Surgery. Patients should talk to their doctor to decide if da Vinci Surgery is right for them. Patients and doctors should review all available information on non-surgical and surgical options in order to make an informed decision. For Important Safety Information, including surgical risks, indications, and considerations and contraindications for use, please also refer to www.davincisurgery.com/safety and www.intuitivesurgical.com. Unless otherwise noted, all people depicted are models.
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