The differential diagnosis of acute pelvic pain in various stages of the life cycle of women and adolescents: gynecological challenges for the family physician in an outpatient setting

Acute pain is of sudden onset, intense, sharp or severe cramping. It may be described as local or diffuse, and if corrected takes a short course. It is often associated with nausea, emesis, diaphoresis, and anxiety. It may vary in intensity of expression by a woman's cultural worldview of communicating as well as her history of physical, mental, and psychosocial painful experiences. The primary care physician must dissect in an orderly, precise, and rapid manner the true history from the patient experiencing pain, and proceed to diagnose and treat the acute symptoms of a possible life-threatening problem.