Are you experiencing pain in your pelvic area or veins in the genital area? You may have pelvic congestion syndrome.
Dr. Adam Farkas of the Jerusalem Vascular Clinic offers a non-surgical procedure to treat pelvic pain and bulging veins in the genital area. Patients can expect to go home the same day.
Schedule an in-depth consultation today.
Are You Suffering From Pelvic Pain?
Chronic pelvic pain has many potential causes. One of the more common causes is termed Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) or “pelvic varicose veins.” The symptoms of PCS may include pelvic pain or fullness, as well as visible dilated (“varicose”) veins on the area of the genitalia, buttocks, groin, and upper thighs. Pain and varicose veins typically gets worse around the time of the monthly period, during pregnancy, or around the time of sexual intercourse.
Symptoms
- Pelvic pain
- Pain in pelvis
- Pain during period
- Pain during sex
- Pain during intercourse
- Veins in pelvic area
- Veins in genital area
- Bulging veins in genital area
- Veins in thighs
- Veins in vagina
- Veins during pregnancy
- Varicose veins
- Bulging veins during pregnancy
- Painful veins
- Painful veins during pregnancy
Background Information
Chronic pelvic pain has many potential causes. One of the more common causes is termed Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) or “pelvic varicose veins.” The symptoms of PCS may include pelvic pain or fullness, as well as visible dilated (“varicose”) veins on the area of the genitalia, buttocks, groin, and upper thighs. Pain and varicose veins typically get worse around the time of the monthly period, during pregnancy, or around the time of sexual intercourse.
The “varicose veins” on the upper thighs or around the external genitalia may, or may not be associated with pelvic pain.
Treatment Information:
Pelvic Vein Embolization
It is often difficult to ascribe a women’s symptoms definitively to PCS, and women typically undergo evaluation by a gynecologist which may include pelvic Ultrasound, CT or MRI, and sometimes laparoscopic surgery in order to look for other possible causes of pelvic pain, such as endometriosis. In no other cause is found, and the patient has dilated veins in the pelvis, then PCS may be appropriately diagnosed.
The treatment for PCS involves a non-surgical procedure, where a small catheter is inserted into the pelvic veins in order to close them off (“embolization”). The procedure is performed in the ‘angiography suite’ (a type of specialized operating room with imaging equipment to help guide the catheter to the right location). It is performed with local anesthetic at the site where the catheter is inserted (usually right side of the neck) and moderate sedation (relaxing medicine that is given through an IV). The procedure typically takes about 1-2 hours and patients are able to go home on the same day of the procedure. Women typically experience minor pain for the first 24-48 hours, which is managed with oral pain medication. If PCS is in fact the appropriate diagnosis, this catheter based procedure carries a very high success and patient satisfaction rate (75-90%).
In the past, the only treatment option for PCS was removal of the uterus (‘hysterectomy’), a far more invasive procedure with more potential complications.
Schedule an in-depth consultation
Dr. Adam Farkas
We believe in partnering with you, in order to alleviate your suffering. Our patients’ concerns are our concerns, and we take pride not only in providing excellent outcomes to our patients, but in seeing a smile on their faces.
National referral center for complex vascular disorders
with 3000 annual procedures performed
Condition FAQ
Please call 02-564-5634 and ask for an appointment in Dr. Farkas’s private clinic in Jerusalem. It is very helpful if you have a pelvic ultrasound or other imaging study of your pelvis (CT or MRI) prior to your clinic visit, though this can also be done after your visit. It is important that if you have a pelvic ultrasound, that it be performed after you’ve been standing for about 10-15 minutes, and that you bear down during the ultrasound. The ultrasound technician or physician should know that they are looking for ‘dilated pelvic veins.’
Once you are seen in Dr. Farkas’s clinic and are determined to be a candidate for the “embolization” procedure, the procedure will be scheduled with our scheduling coordinator. Typically an appointment can be given within a few weeks time. The embolization procedure is generally covered by your kuppat cholim. You will have the option of doing the procedure via “sharap” which allows you to guarantee that Dr. Farkas (and not another physician in the department) performs your procedure. Doing the procedure via “sharap” is generally covered by private insurance and involves a co-payment if done via kuppat cholim. Our scheduling coordinator at 02-655-5014 will be happy to explain the details.
You can expect to have your procedure performed in the morning of your appointed date. The procedure typically takes 1-2 hours, during which you will be partially sedated (partially asleep). You will then go home several hours after the procedure, typically in the late afternoon/evening time. You can expect to require 1-3 days of oral pain medications at home and you should be able to return to your normal activities within 1-2 days.
You will be asked to follow up in Dr. Farkas’s clinic several weeks after your procedure. If pain relief is insufficient, some patients may require a second procedure (in order to “embolize” additional pelvic veins) though most patients are expected to obtain good symptomatic relief and not require any additional treatment.
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