We often see articles about pelvic pain in women, but men often experience it too. If you experience pelvic pain—loosely described as pain between the groin and navel—there are quite a few possible causes. Here are some of the more common reasons you may be experiencing issues.
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Hernia
Are you experiencing sudden pain in your lower abdomen after lifting something heavy or exercising? Hernias occur when either your intestine or a piece of tissue forces its way through the muscle. Sometimes you can actually feel the bulge. Hernias are more common in older men because our muscles weaken as we age.
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Prostatitis
There are a number of reasons you may experience inflammation of the prostate with pain, including acute bacterial prostatitis (i.e., occurring once or a couple times), chronic bacterial prostatitis (a recurring infection) and nonbacterial prostatitis (which won’t respond to antibiotics).
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Irritable bowel syndrome
Commonly known as “IBS,” this syndrome can cause bloating, diarrhea, constipation, painful cramps and mucus in the stool. You may notice that you temporarily feel better after a bowel movement.
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Urinary stones
When salt or minerals (e.g., calcium) build up in your urine, they may clump together and crystallize. If they’re too big to pass easily, you may experience pelvic or back pain, blood in your urine or difficulty urinating.
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Cystitis
Infections in the bladder can cause pelvic pain, frequent and/or painful urination, changes to the look or smell of your urine, a weak urine flow, blood in your urine or difficulty urinating.
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Sexually transmitted infection
Often referred to as “STIs,” these causes of pelvic pain often include chlamydia and gonorrhea.
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Benign prostatic hyperplasia
If your prostate gland enlarges but you don’t have cancer, your doctor may refer to it as BPH. This issue is more common in older men and can cause pelvic pain and trouble urinating.
