I’ve been following this forum for over a decade and I’m increasingly frustrated by how quickly lower abdominal pain in women gets pigeonholed into a handful of diagnoses—usually endometriosis or ovarian cysts—without a deeper look into potentially multifactorial causes. How many times have we seen the same cookie-cutter approach that leans heavily on imaging and hormone panels, while sidelining other possibilities like gastrointestinal issues, pelvic floor dysfunction, or even musculoskeletal factors?
At times it feels like the diagnostic process is more about fitting a patient into a common category than truly investigating all the nuances of their pain. Has anyone encountered studies or clinical experiences where a more integrative, multidisciplinary evaluation led to a better understanding of chronic lower abdominal pain? Shouldn’t we be pushing for a diagnostic protocol that considers a broader spectrum of possibilities rather than defaulting to what traditional guidelines endorse?
I’m all for evidence-based medicine, but it seems that the evidence we lean on is often selectively interpreted. What are your thoughts? Is it time to challenge the status quo and demand a more holistic, patient-centered approach?